An international event giving a voice to farmers, activists, chefs and politicians; new countries embracing the campaign for the reduction of meat consumption and a new edition of Slow Food’s guide to meat, Too Much at Steak…
The second edition of Slow Meat, the international event dedicated to good, clean and fair meat, recently took place in Denver, Colorado from June 4-6. It involved, on one hand, the experts -farmers activists, chefs and politicians- who participated in a symposium aimed at assessing the current state of affairs regarding meat consumption, and working to build a network that champions a change from the absurdity of industrial production. On the other hand there was the general public, who had the possibility of buying products related to the Slow Meat campaign, participate in conferences on innovation and future challenges, take part in workshops held by experts and taste many recipes using high quality meat.
The Slow Meat campaign is slowly but surely becoming global. Soon we will share more details about how the Slow Food network in South Africa has taken the campaign on board and what activities have been carried out. In this newsletter instead, we want to share with you the new, updated edition of Too Much at Steak, a very useful tool to enable more informed consumption choices and remind you that each time you shop, your individual choices can help determine a positive change in the global food system.
The need to republish a more international edition of Too Much at Steak, stems from the fact that current meat consumption levels continue to rise relentlessly and are increasingly unsustainable. Each US citizens consumes on average around 125 kilos of meat, a European consumes 74 kilos and in the East, per capita meat consumption continues to be steadily on the rise. Within 2050, the global meat consumption trend is set to double, resulting in significant pressure on the environment and heavily impacting animal welfare. Standard industrial farms have the sole aim of maximizing production, considering animals as commercial goods and productive units, rather than as living, sentient beings, capable of suffering, feeling stressed and scared. The excessive consumption of meat is also problematic for our health, particularly when we buy meat from intensive farms, where animals are treated with antibiotics to prevent diseases, which occur frequently in confined spaces.
While highlighting how certain types of production can be harmful and dangerous, the aim of the guide is to offer a different ‘recipe’: eating less meat, but of better quality; taking the pressure off the most commonly consumed species and breeds; changing our shopping habits by rediscovering alternative and lesser know cuts of meat. This must be linked with efforts to protect the biodiversity of traditional breeds, as Slow Food actively does through many other campaigns. For instance, while native dairy cows produce less milk compared to commercial breeds, their milk is often nutritionally richer, containing higher levels of fats and casein, two important elements in the production of high quality cheese.
This is Slow Food’s recipe. To read the rest of the guide, download Too Much at Steak, by clicking on the link or the image on the left, and help us to continue our campaign!