DAY 47

It's a great time to be a vegetarian. Now we seem to be facing a shortage of meat, in addition to the toilet paper/hand sanitizer/Clorox wipe shortages. Meat processing plants are decreasing production or suspending operations because of Covid-19. I was at the grocery store today and the meat department was almost completely empty of fresh beef, chicken and pork There was still a good supply of processed meat if you are a bacon fanatic like my husband is. I found one package of ground beef and a frozen turkey breast. Fortunately I have a freezer that is well stocked with frozen chicken and beef.

I have heard about problems with the "supply chain." Farmers are still farming, but the processing plants are not able to keep up due to social distancing issues with their employees. I read that a poultry processing plant in Delaware was going to kill 2 million chickens, but they will not be processed for sales to grocery stores. This is unconscionable. It all points to the unsustainable nature of the way that we attain our food.

Most Americans, and I suspect in fact a good share of the world population, have lost sight of where their food comes from. Just a hundred or so years ago most people either grew their own food or bought it from local farmers. They knew exactly where their food came from, and it was not thousands of miles away. I really hope that one of the lessons we learn through this is how important it is to buy locally grown food. We should be supporting our farmers markets and turning our wasteful lawns into vegetable gardens.

According to a report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization the meat industry causes more greenhouse gases than either transportation or industry. Our appetite for meat is seriously contributing to the dangerous warming of our planet.

I am happy to report that the produce department was well stocked. I am mostly vegetarian but my family is not. They may have to be if this keeps up.