The Harsh Reality 

Owen Isenberg 
 
The ethics surrounding food hasn’t always been a major contributor to 
someone’s decision on what to eat. In the beginning, we had to physically look for and 
gather our meals in order to survive so the ethics of what we were eating weren’t on 
our minds. The choice of eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner was solely dependent on 
what we could get our hands-on. Now, with the rapid success of factory farming and 
the availability of meat people still think in the same mindset. We have pushed the 
harsh reality of factory farming into the back of all of our minds.  
Almost 90% of all animals used for farming live in factory farms worldwide. In 
the U.S around 99% of all farmed animals live on factory farms. Some people might 
think this is a good thing because the animals here are treated well and they live happy 
lives. When I think of a happy cow or pig I think of them in their natural habitat. These 
factory farms are the complete opposite of a cow's natural habitat, in most of these 
farms they are almost unable to move around. They are forced to stand in a pile of their 
own feces until they are ready to be eaten. This is a horrible life for any animal to live 
but it also has an even worse effect on the planet. The greenhouse gasses produced 
by factory farming is around 14.7% of all greenhouse gasses produced per year. 
Factory farms also produce 120 times more water waste than the entire human 
population per year.  
Because of the harsh reality of factory farming I have tried my best to eat all 
organic meat. I do this because I want to try and put an end to factory farming and all 
organic beef is raised free roam and grass-fed. This means the cows are allowed to 
roam the fields eating all the grass they want. This makes the beef taste better and it 
makes the cows happier. I would rather spend the extra money on happier cows and 
better-tasting meat. 
Now as much meat as we produce Americans waste 240 billion dollars a year on 
meat and poultry. This waste is in the form of meat going bad, leftovers that go in the 
trash, and the parts of the animal we don't eat. I saw this first hand when I was in 
China. When you go to the grocery store in the U.S all of the meat is packaged up and 
you can only buy select parts and cuts of the animal. The closest thing you can see the 
whole animal is in the fish section where there are strips of fish meat laid on ice. In 
China, you can buy almost every part of the animal except for some of the organs like 
the intestines, stomach, and lungs. The first time I walked into a grocery store in China 
I was shocked at the selection of meat. There are live sea animals swimming in tanks 
and almost whole cows in the butcher shops. One of the most shocking things to see 
people eating was picking chicken’s feet. In the U.S I have never seen a chicken foot in 
a grocery store or sold in a vending machine. While that’s abnormal here that is some 
of the most popular food there. When I came back from China one of the main things 
that I thought about was the number of animals we don't eat. For example the main 
animals we eat in the U.S are cows, pigs, and chickens. While in other countries they 
eat all the animals we eat plus more, like buffalo, lamb, goat, and more.  
This hasn't changed the things I eat or the way I eat it, It has just made me think 
about the amount of edible food we throw away. This also helped me realize how picky 
we are with the food we eat and how we only eat select animals like cows, pigs, and 
chickens. One of the worst parts of the meat waste is because we produce so much of 
it but some people can't afford it so it goes bad in the stores. There is a very large 
population of the world that has access to meat but don’t have the money to go and 
buy it so the meat goes bad on the shelves in the stores. Because this is a reality for 
some families across the world it has helped me realize how lucky I am. How lucky I 
am to eat the food I do and never worry if I am going to be able to have a nutritious 
meal for the day.  
One thing I’m working on is not eating fast food anymore. I want to stop 
because all of the fast-food restaurants buy directly from these factory farms because 
they can get a large amount of meat for a low cost and I would rather support the local 
restaurants. One example of this is going to Grassburger instead of Mc Donalds or 
Wendys. The beef that Grassburger gets is 100% grass-fed beef and all organic. This 
to me means happier cows that can live a free and happy life. Because fast food can 
buy a large amount of beef for a low cost they can use this to sell low-cost meals like 
Mc Donalds. At Mc Donalds you can get a cheeseburger or chicken sandwich for $1. 
This is a good thing and a bad thing for people, It is good because low-income families 
can feed themselves without a lot of worries but it also directly affects obesity rates. 
For me, I can afford to not eat cheap fast food every day so I try and buy the food that 
is better for me and the cows.  
The main thing I think about when it comes to my food ethic is the animals. I 
love animals but I also like love to eat them. I don't plan on not eating meat but I also 
want the animals to live a full and happy life. When I see these animals locked in small 
cages never knowing what it is like to be free makes me sad. It makes me feel even 
worse when I see their meat goes to waste. I try and savor the moment every time I eat 
meat because I know an animal died for the meal I’m eating.