Elaborating -- Smithfield Foods & Their Plant Based Line

I wanted to take the time to dive into this topic a little further because I think it's important to really look at this from every angle and give you guys my opinions but also evoke a thought process in all of you. A couple days ago I posted a story about Smithfield Foods releasing a line of plant based products that included burgers, meatballs, and ground "meat" and whether or not I thought we should be supporting them. Let's dive into this one.

There is a very fine line when it comes to supporting companies that are entering into the vegan, vegetarian, and plant based markets in that our support will determine whether the company sees this as a lucrative investment. We've seen a variety of fast food chains recently introducing more plant based options and we've jumped on board in supporting them with the intentions of showing them that this is the direction they should be headed. By supporting these chains in their plant based endeavors, we are supporting the movement but at the same time, are we not contributing to their continued slaughter of animals as well?

This is where I think that fine line comes into play. When it comes to supporting a fast food chain who introduces a plant based item, our support is crucial to their continued investment in plant based options. I also believe it is a way of securing options for ourselves when compared to our omni friends. Fast food is something we've all grown up loving but when we all decided to go vegan/vegetarian, we gave up on enjoying something we all loved and now that these companies are introducing plant based options, we feel that by supporting them we are also securing our own options when it comes to grabbing a quick bite when we go out. Is it selfish of us to support these companies who will continue to source meat from factory farms that have poor standards when it comes to animal welfare? 

When it comes to Smithfield Foods, this is the world's largest pork producer. They are a business that is wholly enveloped in factory farmed animals that are mass produced and cruelly treated. I reported on their being exposed for abhorrent cruelty including gestation crates, mass pharmaceutical use, and piglets suffering from untreated infections so they are about as unethical as they come. With their impending release of a plant based line, it makes me wonder whether supporting them is really the right idea. 

If we choose to buy their products and show strong support for their plant based line, what will this ultimately do? Will they realize plant based is the way to go and start releasing more products? Will they just jump ship on producing pork in favour of plant based operations? I struggle with the thought that we are handing them money to continue their horrid operations while also capitalizing on an opportunity to make more money off of us. Is it really ethical of us to purchase their products knowing that they will never stop breeding and slaughtering mass amounts of pigs? It's honestly a very slippery slope.

What are your honest opinions? I think it's important to show companies that offering plant based options is both ethical and lucrative but where do we stop and say I refuse to support your products because it is unethical of us to do so. Me personally, I will not be supporting Smithfield Foods but I will continue to support the rise of plant based options in fast food and other quick service restaurants. Perhaps this is hypocritical, I'm really not sure.

HAPPY VEG