Ethics and Religion Talk: Are Food Choices an Ethical Issue For You?

Father Kevin Niehoff, O.P., a Dominican priest who serves as Judicial Vicar, Diocese of Grand Rapids, responds:

Pope Francis wrote Laudato Si, an encyclical letter, on 24 May 2015. This document calls the members of the Catholic Church to examine its relationship with “our common home,” i.e., the planet Earth on which we enjoy life. I encourage those interested to read this in English on the Vatican website (www.vatican.va).

One focus of Pope Francis is caring for ecosystems. The Pope insists, “caring for ecosystems demands far-sightedness” (Laudato Si, p. 11). He teaches, “we can be silent witnesses to terrible injustices if we think that we can obtain significant benefits by making the rest of humanity, present and future, pay the extremely high costs of environmental deterioration” (Ibid.).

Whole Foods Market has announced it will stop selling lobster from the Gulf of Maine because the type of equipment used for fishing lobsters entangles endangered whales in its gear. Humanity has a moral responsibility to care for the planet. Not only its resources but also all forms of life. The choice to eat foods ethically obtained demonstrates a commitment to living a life in communion with protecting “our common home.” 

Linda Knieriemen, Senior Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Holland, responds:

A congregant in a previous church would say to the matter of eating ethically, … “Now, you’re meddling.” Nevertheless, with Creation in crisis, Christians who believe scripture (Genesis) instructs them to tend and protect the Created world, considering of how we eat relative to global climate change and also biodiversity is valid. More than valid. Perhaps ‘ethical eating’ is the essential ethical question for the century. 

Three years ago, after my husband died and I was only cooking for one, I made a decision to stop purchasing meat.  I’ll eat meat if placed in front of me and  to not eat it would be an affront to a host. Why? Health (I inherited a tendency to elevated cholesterol), treatment of animals in massive farm production (the realities disgust me) and the acreage, energy, and pesticides needed to grow animal feed for the carnivorous diets (they aren’t sustainable and harm the already fragile environment).

I do eat fish and consume some dairy products. Life long habits are hard to break! My early training as a dietitian and now my spiritual convictions lead  me to believes that the most sustainable, healthy, and tasty way of eating is the “Mediterranean Diet” where vegetables, fruits and grains take primary place while animal products are eaten more as a condiment than the focal point of a meal. The question “what would Jesus eat” should be considered by any who say they follow his teachings!

Fred Stella, the Pracharak (Outreach Minister) for the West Michigan Hindu Temple, responds:

Many (perhaps most) schools of Hinduism strongly encourage vegetarianism. And even those who do eat animals tend to stick to those lower on the food chain, as it is assumed they have less ability to feel pain. And there are several Hindu orgs promoting sustainable agriculture. And I do support such efforts. My mainly plant-based diet (supplemented with fish on occasion) is motivated by several factors: ahimsa (nonviolence), spirituality and environmental sustainability. I do consume animal products (some dairy, eggs, honey, etc.), but I do try to support local farms that are humane and eco-conscious. 

All this said, it’s pretty tough to hold to a completely karma-free diet. There are those who make a convincing argument that the development of agriculture was a turn on the wrong road; and that we should never have left our hunter/gatherer traditions. And in the case of many Hindus, just gatherer. 

So, we do our best.

The Reverend Colleen Squires, minister at All Souls Community Church of West Michigan, a Unitarian Universalist Congregation, responds:

Our 7th Principle is to “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” This Principle calls us to care for all beings on our planet. The article talks about the reasoning behind this change in business practice is to save an endangered whale for the lobster trap netting. I would also add that there is a growing movement in Unitarian Universalism to eat a more ethical diet, meaning a vegetarian, vegan or plant based diet. For some, the way in which lobsters are stored in grocery stores and the way they are prepared for eating can be problematic. Most of my meals are vegetarian but I still do eat meat. I will not eat veal for ethical reasons. 

The Rev. Ray Lanning, a retired minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, responds:

This problem is as old as the Christian Church, and is addressed at length in Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians and elsewhere. Many early Christians were Jews by birth, and had grown up in kosher homes; others were influenced by ancient experiments in vegetarianism, as set forth in the teachings of Pythagoras. Meat from the carcasses of animals sacrificed to pagan deities was afterwards sold in the local markets or “shambles.” So there were many ethical considerations in regard to one’s daily diet in those times. The apostle Paul did not want Christians to entangle themselves in debates over meat and drink (Romans 14). His counsel is, “Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no questions for conscience sake: For the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” (I Corinthians 10:24, Psalm 24:1). 

My response:

Minimally, I define “ethical eating” as following the guidelines of kashrut. Judaism has an intricate set of kosher rules for eating, some of which touch on ethical issues of animal treatment. For example, I will only eat kosher meat, which is slaughtered in a way which is somewhat more humane than normal factory processed meat. Alongside kashrut, there is another set of guidelines for behaving in ethical ways, some of which extend more deeply into the treatment of animals and human beings, and more generally urge us towards caring for all of creation.

I understand that each decision we make affects our wallets. When I am able to forgo a bargain and pay more for something certified by a reputable agency to be produced in an ethical and sustainable fashion, I do so. When I eat plant-based products, I do so knowing that the meat substitutes generally cost more than the animal products. However, I am hesitant to label something as unethical knowing that some people don’t have the economic freedom to make the same kinds of choices that I can make.

This column answers questions of Ethics and Religion by submitting them to a multi-faith panel of spiritual leaders in the Grand Rapids area. We’d love to hear about the ordinary ethical questions that come up in the course of your day as well as any questions of religion that you’ve wondered about. Tell us how you resolved an ethical dilemma and see how members of the Ethics and Religion Talk panel would have handled the same situation. Please send your questions to [email protected].