Meat and social change

Original sin or natural order: Dialogical construction of social knowledge of animal production

“…Moreover, the researchers argue that the resistance is part of populist politics attempting to smear the ruling 'elite' for doing harm to 'ordinary' people by restricting their rights to choose what to eat. Nungesser and Winter (2021) have emphasised the importance of understanding the views on animal production as being socially constructed within the frames of culture-specific human-animal relations as well as in the respective political and economic contexts. In their analysis of the Swedish debate on animal welfare, Schwartz (2020) showed how the human-animal relationship was built on the idea that animals are not equal creatures with humans but mere production factors.…”

“…Still, in the periphery of urban life, 65 billion farmed animals are produced and slaughtered annually (Allievi et al, 2015). Although animal production may be invisible to many, the global issues associated with it are becoming increasingly harder to turn a blind eye to, as Nungesser and Winter (2021) principles of industrial-scale animal production have raised ethical concerns about animal welfare in these processes (Sage, 2016;Vinnari & Vinnari, 2014). Globally, the projected increase in consumption of meat (FAO, 2011) and the significant greenhouse emissions of the livestock industry that contribute to climate change (e.g., FAO, 2013;IPCC, 2018) are on an imminent collision course.…”

“…Still, in the periphery of urban life, 65 billion farmed animals are produced and slaughtered annually (Allievi et al., 2015). Although animal production may be invisible to many, the global issues associated with it are becoming increasingly harder to turn a blind eye to, as Nungesser and Winter (2021) have argued. For example, the Fordist principles of industrial‐scale animal production have raised ethical concerns about animal welfare in these processes (Sage, 2016; Vinnari & Vinnari, 2014).…”

“…Although, from a nutritional perspective, meat and other livestock products are an important source of protein, energy, vitamins and minerals and contribute greatly to global food security (FAO, 2011), humans do not need to eat meat but choose to. Animal production and consuming food of animal origin is tied to ‘cultural traditions and norms, collective and individual identities, as well as to gender relations and conceptions of health, purity, or naturalness’ (Nungesser & Winter, 2021, p. 109), making human–animal relations a complex tangle (see also: Kildal & Syse, 2017). Producing and consuming food is not separate from other fields of life but is associated with social, political and ethical aspects that people discuss and debate (e.g., Beardsworth & Keil, 2002; Meyer‐Rochow, 2009).…”

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“…A las anteriores condiciones de injusticia que la industria alimentaria animal ejerce, junto con los impactos negativos que esta genera en el ambiente natural y en el planeta, se suman una serie de problemas sociales ligados a circunstancias precarias e insalubres de trabajo (Nungesser y Winter, 2021). Pese a ello, el consumo de carne se ha considerado un privilegio de los países ricos, a costa de las consecuencias que acarrea dicha industria en las naciones pobres (Pérez, 2021).…”