CETH101-Introduction to Applied Ethics

Photo-essay: Food Ethics

Date: 5 February 2020
Location: Visakhapatnam
Description: This picture of cheese brings out the following issues:
The process of making cheese is incredibly inhumane, the UK’s Advertising Standards Agency
has declared that milk production can legally be referred to as such. Rennet is taken from an
enzyme in the lining of a calves’ stomach. In order to successfully get rennet, the enzyme must
be harvested when they’re very young, which means, cheesemaking often requires the direct
slaughter of young calves. We are thus directly supporting the war machine against animals
when we purchase and consume cheese. As we’ve seen animal welfare claims increase in
global cheese launches, more companies could share their dedication to the positive
treatment of the animals that provide milk for their products.

Date: 5 February 2020

Location: Visakhapatnam
Description: Commercial eggs have a high ethical cost. Most commercially farmed eggs come
from ~300 million chickens living in battery cages that are criminally small and hold between
5 to 10 birds at a time.
Most birds never experience spreading their wings while in captivity. The physical and mental
stress leads the birds to violent fighting and cannibalism. Additionally, most commercially
farmed eggs come from birds that are injected with hormones and chemicals that contribute
to the unsustainable practices of industrial agriculture. To turn each man-created “layer hen”
into egg-laying factories, we essentially rigged their reproductive systems to lay hundreds of
eggs a year, disregarding the fact that this greatly taxes their bodies and strips them of vital
nutrients like calcium.
There are many alternatives to eggs like ackee, silken tofu, chia and flax eggs, aquafaba and
mashed ripe bananas which can be used as substitutes for baking, mayonnaise, scrambled
eggs, etc.

Date: 5 February 2020

Location: Visakhapatnam
Description: Coco-cola has one of the most horrific environmental and workers’ rights records
that includes aggressive human exploitation and environmental exploitation. Coco-cola is
unethical for several reasons including climate change, palm oil, pollution and toxics, human
rights, workers' rights, irresponsible marketing, animal rights and political activities.
Consequently, the company values employees with American descent as more skilled in
managing the company’s activities as compared to workers from other regions of the globe.
The company should implement global anti-discriminatory laws to protect employees against
discrimination based on nationality, religion, sex, gender, and disability.
The company continues to pollute the environment due to the increased production of plastic
bottles that are poorly disposed of. Moreover, there are insufficient recycling systems than
the rate of producing plastics. Coco-cola should produce recyclable and reusable bottles.
Coco-cola should observe the food and drug policy by manufacturing and distributing
products with limited adverse effects on the consumers and the surroundings.
Date: 5 February 2020
Location: Visakhapatnam
Description: With most big-brand bars containing soya and palm oil, chocolate carries ethical
baggage before you even consider the cocoa. Most cocoa comes from smallholders in Côte
d’Ivoire and Ghana, who bear the burden of price fluctuations while looking at entrenched
poverty.
Only in recent years has it come to light that child labour, and in some cases, child slavery, are
common practices on West African cocoa farms, where 75% of the world’s cocoa is produced.
Most of the children are also required to spray hazardous chemicals on the crops, where they
ingest it into their lungs, and they miss school while they work, which is in violation of the
International Labour Organization (ILO).
Child slavery on cocoa farms is a difficult issue to fully address because the most serious
abuses take place across the world; however, that does not mean our responsibility is
reduced. Since chocolate is a luxury and not a necessity, we can each absolutely afford brands
that practice ethical standards from the crop to the store.
Date: 5 February 2020
Location: Visakhapatnam
Description: Avocado a common choice among vegans and non-vegans alike, especially as its
popularity has continued to grow in recent years. Avocados have become a lucrative business
for Mexico’s drug cartels. When the farmers refuse to pay the gangs, their orchards and
processing plants are burned down, or worse. Avocado plantations install illegal pipes and
wells to divert water from rivers to irrigate their crops, which forces local populations to
survive on contaminated water brought in by trucks. Beyond all of this, many avocados leave
their farms in order to be transported thousands of miles away to the rest of America, Europe,
and increasingly to Asian markets such as China, racking up a pretty large carbon footprint for
such small food.
Avocado requires a lot of water wherever it is grown, so it’s best for us to consume mindfully
and avoid glorifying them on social media in order to combat the hyper consumerist culture
that has led to their rapid expansion.