Courtney Lasserre

People in richer countries may eat more meat because cattle feed (i.e. corn) is so heavily subsidized by the government, either through direct tax breaks or by providing grants for research and various other technological developments supported by the government. Meat affects the planet by adding more emissions to the air and using lots of water (cows add methane to the atmosphere and use the most water out of nearly any food animal), but I think the problem is really with the industrial agriculture system as a whole. I do not think meat production would be so widespread if were not for the meteoric rise of corn supported by the government.

I love the book that this quote is from; highly, highly recommend In Defense of Food. I do agree with the statement that it is better to pay the grocer than the doctor, but I do think it is sometimes difficult for low-income families to find healthy and affordable food options. This is a problem in the industrialized food system in that the cheapest foods are also the most processed. Each person can combat this by buying local to the extent that you can instead of giving money to the industrial food system.