This year, I set a goal for myself to write one blog article every month. Prior to that, I wasn’t the most consistent of writers. I would have my occasional streak where I publish something consistently, but then trail off for a bit. So, I decided to stay on point for one full year, which I’m quite proud of. One of the biggest challenges that I face is finding a topic to write about. Although I’m extremely passionate about veganism, sometimes it’s hard to think of something. Additionally, I feel a slight pressure to share value. This feeling follows me every time I sit down to write an article — I ask myself questions like “will people enjoy this?” or “is this good enough?”.

Having written 12 articles this year, I can say with confidence that I’m starting to loosen up. At the end of the day, there is no real pressure from anyone. The articles that I write on my blog vary, and they can range from simple reads to more complex ones. Ultimately, I realised that what I’m trying to do is build a story. Although veganism has become part of the mainstream, I believe that there are still many misconceptions around the lifestyle. It becomes difficult sometimes to understand the vegan mind, if you don’t come into contact with it. That said, I write my content so that people who aren’t vegan, can get a better idea of veganism. And in turn, allow them to think deeper about their food choices as well.

With Veganuary coming up soon, many people will be looking to try going vegan for the first time. Others might be recurring members who are keen to live plant-based for a full month. No matter the context, Veganuary is a good time to reflect on our food choices, and what they entail. It’s difficult to imagine the complexity of our food systems when we only come into contact with the final product. The final product (the food) represents a small piece of a wider puzzle. I’m grateful that we live in societies (for the most part) where food is extremely accessible. This accessibility has nonetheless detached many of us from the reality of food.

In my opinion, this detachment creates a society that is unaware of what goes on with our food. One survey done by Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) stated that 22% of the population has never visited a farm. Another survey by LEAF asking 2,000 adults to link foods to crops/animals showed ‘how bad the situation is becoming’. If we zoom out for a bit, we can see that in high-income countries, only 3% of the population works in agriculture. This is starkly different to the +40% in emerging and developing countries. To add more context, 0.5M people in the UK work in agriculture and fisheries sectors (2% of UK employment). However, out of the 3.9M (14% of employment) people who work in the industry from farm to retail, 70% work in retail and foodservice jobs. This is still much lower than the global average (31%).

I’m not trying to say that people should work in agriculture to understand where their food comes from – not at all. I’m happy that we are free to choose our employment, and pursue our dreams and ambitions. However, being in contact with reality can definitely help. Growing up in Jordan, I learned very quickly that there was no happy ending for farm animals. I remember during Eid Al Adha seeing sheep pens next to busy streets. This made purchasing a sheep accessible to city dwellers who would even stuff sheep in their car trunks. Not only that, this is a completely normal occurrence that happens independently of the holidays. A complete contrast to my experience in the UK, where I’ve never seen a live farm animal outside the countryside.

Although this is a very specific example, I think it holds some serious truth to it. The further we distance ourselves from the ‘source’, the less knowledgeable we become. If we’re unable to identify our food, and what it takes to produce it, then we become in essence blind consumers. If we look at the findings from the same survey that I highlighted earlier, we see this phenomenon unfolding. For instance, 36% of participants didn’t know that bacon comes from pigs and 40% failed to link milk with cows. Even though this represents a minority, the fact that someone can reach adulthood and not know these things is quite fascinating. It shows that when we form a blind habit around consumption, we fall into a trap that’s hard to escape.

Unlike plant-based foods (which can also be unethical), animal-based foods will always involve some form of exploitation. It’s hard to separate this reality because extracting something from animals will require involuntary coercion. Whether that is meat, milk, eggs, leather, feathers, fur, or wool – exploitation will exist. The reason I use the term ‘exploitation’ is because we use animals for our benefit. We live in a world where animals and humans have an unfair relationship where one side has control over the other. To put this into perspective, humanity consumes 360 million tonnes of meat ever year. This means that humans help birth billions of animals every year only to slaughter them later on. The meat industry is one of many industries, but it’s one where exploitation is the most evident.

To contrast the reality of farm animals, 57% of the adult population in the UK has a non-human animal companion that they love and care for. Many people that have a dog or a cat call them by a name, love spending time with them, speak to them and even attribute human traits onto them. The connection that we form with our non-human companions is quite profound. It clearly shows that we can and will care for someone that is not part of our specie. This care is also very tangible. In the UK, people spent almost £10 billion on their companions in 2022, and according to a survey by MoneySuperMarket, 35% of ‘pet owners’ are willing to spend money on pet therapy than on themselves. Nevertheless, if we can care so much about our companions, then why can’t we do the same for other animals?

Growing up, we learn that cows and chicken are food, and dogs and cats are pets. Thinking any differently can come across as weird or irrational. This isn’t surprising because for many millennia, humans have eaten animals. This is an indivisible part of our history. However, the world that we live in today is very different. Today we can think outside our conditioning, and ask difficult questions. One question that I asked myself many years ago is why do we view certain animals differently? Why is a cow food and a dog a friend? This isn’t an easy question either, because we are naturally comfortable with the way things are. Having to think about cows as sentient beings that deserve the same rights as dogs can make us feel uneasy. So, we might change the subject, turn a blind eye, or even justify the status quo.

Regardless of what our moral convictions are, changing our viewpoint on animals is difficult. Food is a big part of human existence, and will always continue to be so. It shapes many moments shared over a meal, and more importantly, it’s our source of sustenance. It truly is a universal experience that transcends our differences. Having to form a connection between our food and the animal that died for it, is not something that we actively learn to do. As mentioned previously, we don’t come into contact with the individual animals, so we don’t know what they went through. We only see their carcasses. Moreover, when we do begin questioning our morality, we find ways to justify our actions. What else am I going to eat? I only buy organic and grass fed beef. I can’t go vegan, I need to eat meat.

These are some of the many things you might say when asked if you can go vegan. Realistically, the list is infinite. I was once non-vegan, and thought that the idea was completely crazy. Seriously, I believed that people should eat meat. I also didn’t care much for the treatment of farm animals. Back then, I believed that a cow is food and a dog is a friend. However, when I learned about the Yulin dog festival, I felt outraged. How can someone eat dogs? Dogs are friends, not food. But, it didn’t take me long to understand my own hypocrisy in this matter. Truthfully, I was in no position to tell anyone which animal they can eat because what is the intrinsic value of a cow and a dog if not for our own benefit? At the end of the day, both animals want to live in peace.

Over time, and much research, things began to align, and the moral shift occurred. I understood the weight of my actions, and the harm it causes others. I realised that I can’t feel good about eating my food knowing what’s at stake. Going vegan was the only solution in my eyes. If I could do it, so can others. I think that questioning our food choices is the first step towards clarity. If we allow ourselves to get closer to our food, then I believe that we would become informed consumers. We will understand our food system, and the flaws that plague it. And although the road is still long, I do believe that more people will speak up about them. For this generation, and the ones to come.

Nevertheless, baby steps matter. Veganuary 2024 is on the horizon, and it’s quickly approaching. What will be your call to action?

Anis