In 1905, Upton Sinclair produced his seminal work, The Jungle, which first exposed the American public to the wretched and foul conditions of the meatpacking industry.  Since its publication, industrial slaughter houses in this country have improved considerably, becoming more sanitary and humane.  But as Eric Schlosser, the author of Fast Food Nation, has pointed out, they still have a long way to go.  Until 1997, when the USDA stepped in and tightened regulations, about 80% of American cattle were fed slaughterhouse wastes—“the rendered remains of dead sheep and dead cattle.”  According to Schlosser, since the practice came to an end, “Millions of dead cats and dead dogs, purchased from animal shelters, are being fed to cattle each year, along with dead ducks, geese, elk and deer.”

I must confess that such horrific stories do not deter me from eating a juicy steak cooked to a pink, medium rare.  After all, shouldn’t we give the meat industry props for being so resourceful with waste?  Isn’t this what sustainability is all about?