The ethics of a hot dog

A number of people have said over the years that I think too much.  I think (there I go) that there are many advantages to having an active mind, particularly when putting my thoughts, ideas and experiences into a wider, worldly context.  However, it does usually make shopping quite a headache.  

I am passionate about fair trade.  I expect reasonable working conditions and fair pay for my work and buying products with the Fair Trade trademark is to me, the best way to try and ensure that the producers of the products I purchase have also received a fair wage for their efforts.

 Fair trade food products are the easy bit of shopping.  Unless it happens to be something like flowers or sugar that are also produced in the UK, so then there is the decision to make as to whether to buy ‘local’ to support UK producers, avoid food miles and have a smaller carbon footprint or to support farmers in the developing whose children may not get clean water or an education without the guarantee given by a fair trade contract. I try and buy some of both, in case you were wondering. 

For a number of reasons there are a limited (although growing) number of products that can be certified as Fair Trade.  This means that when buying food types that aren’t currently certifiable I have to consider different factors.  Local and organic criteria are up there with fair trade in my list of priorities.  What ‘local’ means geographically will depend on the product.  Organic because from my understanding (and a degree in Environmental Change and Monitoring), organic farming methods protect rather than destroy.  Natural habitats, plants and animals, such as bees (that provide the vital pollination service for most food crops), can be harmed or even wiped out by intensive farming methods that use chemical pesticides, insecticides and fungicides amongst other things.  In my experience organic produce usually tastes better, even if it doesn’t look as perfect as non-organic produce.   You may be thinking that my food choice factors means my shopping bill is high.   I guess it is down to priorities.

The other food factor that challenges me, and I am getting to the hot dog bit,  is whether to eat meat or not.  Whilst the thought of eating a dead animal can make me feel a little uneasy if I think long enough, my opinion is that if I choose not to eat a dead animal then I really need to become a vegan and not consume dairy products either.  Cows need to have given birth to lactate and so only females are useful in milk production.  What happens to all the males born?  Without cattle there wouldn’t be a natural source of fertilizer for many food crops either.  My conclusion is that I will occasionally eat meat, but I will choose organic, free range meat where animals have been treated humanely and are allowed to live and enjoy their natural habitat before they are slaughtered.   This means we eat a lot of quorn (a vegetarian meat substitute).  

I was very excited when a few years ago it became possible to buy frozen quorn hot-dog sausages.  They are a quick treat with fried onions and ketchup in a roll and taste even better if we wrap them in foil and take them out in our campervan for an impromptu picnic.  My 3 year old also loves them.  They might not make the healthiest, most balanced meal we’ve ever consumed, but they are healthier than fatty sausages and aren’t a type of food product that can be organic or fairly traded, so tick most of my boxes.  Guilt factor on buying and letting my family eat them – pretty low!  However, the supermarket we get them from has recently replaced the packaging.  I happened to have an old pack in the freezer so I decided to compare.  I haven’t checked the price, but I imagine the packaging change to be part of the supermarkets ploy to increase profit.  The new packet has a slightly lower weight of product in it, and I am guessing the price is the same. But then I noticed where they are produced and packaged.

 Israel. 

 Suddenly our quick snack is not quite so tasty.  Not only are there the food miles to consider, but I do try to either buy from or boycott suppliers or products if I think there is a good reason as my very small way of trying to make a difference.   I am certainly not an expert on Middle East politics, and whilst from what I have read, I don’t believe either side of the Palestinian Israeli conflict is entirely blameless, I think that Israel’s occupation and oppression of the Palestinians is wrong and innocent people, including small children are suffering everyday because of it.   Now I am wondering how significant a quorn factory in Israel is in the scheme of Middle East peace.