- Chris MacDonald is a Toronto-based ethicist, professor, speaker and consultant.
-
Recent Posts
Archives
-
Join 105 other subscribers
Other Blogs I Write
Blogs Related to Food Ethics
Meta
Author Archives: Chris MacDonald
Sources of Calories and Diet-Industry Ethics
This is interesting, and confirms my non-scientist’s suspicion. It turns out that (at least according to this one study) calories count, but not where they come from. The basic finding is that if you’re trying to lose weight, what matters … Continue reading
Backyard Chicken Ethics
As far as food goes, you can’t get much more “local” than raising chickens in your own backyard. But many cities forbid the practice. Zoning laws generally prescribe where you can and cannot raise animals for food. But such laws … Continue reading
Posted in agriculture, kids, law, local, urban farming, values
2 Comments
Paula Deen’s Ethics
Paula Deen is under fire for failing to announce promptly enough that she has Type 2 diabetes. My first impression: The kind of food Deen promoted was unhealthy 5 years ago. It was unhealthy the day she was diagnosed. It … Continue reading
Posted in diets, ethics, health, media
2 Comments
Pricing Whales
Is it a good idea, or a bad idea, for whale advocates to put their money where their mouths are? From Wired: A Market Proposal for Saving Whales Despite the best efforts of activists, more whales are killed now than … Continue reading
Posted in ethics
4 Comments
Horse Meat Controversy
CTV News reported yesterday that a hidden-camera video has spurred new calls for a ban on horse meat in Canada: Animal rights groups are calling for a ban on the sale of horse meat after disturbing video at a slaughterhouse … Continue reading
Posted in ethics
2 Comments
The Ethics of the Cost of Ethical Food
It’s bad if high prices get in the way of eating a) well or b) ethically, and there are plenty of myths about both. And today alone I’ve read two interesting pieces on the price of food. First, the NYT’s … Continue reading
Posted in consumerism, ethics, farmers markets, local, marketing, organic, prices, values
3 Comments
Price of a Cocktail
Of all the ethical issues involved in producing, transporting, marketing, and selling food, pricing is one of the least-well explored. Issues of pricing are essentially absent from the academic literature on business ethics, for example, presumably because for “standard” products, … Continue reading
Posted in alcohol, marketing, prices, restaurants
1 Comment
Store Does End-Run Around Egg Safety
Here’s a chuckle, and a caution: Store sells cartons, gives away eggs A health food store in eastern P.E.I. is looking for a way around health regulations after provincial officials told them to stop selling eggs they buy from local … Continue reading
Posted in certifiction, ethics, health, law, marketing, safety
3 Comments
Canada Geese for NYC Homeless: Yes
This is such an obviously-good idea that I’m not sure why it’s even news. Activist says feeding homeless with geese ‘ethical’ A Virginia-based locavore activist says New York City is doing the “ethical thing” by sending its culled Canada Geese … Continue reading
Posted in activism, animal rights, animal welfare, sustainability, wildlife
1 Comment
Is Smaller More Ethical, or Less?
The food world’s fascination with small-scale production of bespoke edibles shows no sign of waning. See, for example, this piece by Emma Sturgess, for The Guardian: From small seeds grow big ideas There are David and Goliath battles in all … Continue reading
Posted in agriculture, ethics, factory farms, farmers, industrial, sustainability, values
Comments Off on Is Smaller More Ethical, or Less?
The Food Ethics Blog 