- Chris MacDonald is a Toronto-based ethicist, professor, speaker and consultant.
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Category Archives: activism
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
Things that Matter: Drug Residue in Chinese Pork
You could tell a lot about your average foodie or food-safety advocate by asking them to list food-related issues by level of importance. Some people tend to focus on the latest feel-good trend (e.g., at least some versions of localism) … Continue reading
Posted in activism, agriculture, animal welfare, ethics, factory farms, health, international, meat, safety
4 Comments
Ethical Ranking for Tuna
Tuna. It’s the type of fish most likely to be in the average pantry at any given moment. And it is perhaps the one fish that has most clearly been turned into something very like a true commodity. On your … Continue reading
Posted in activism, aquaculture, ecosystems, endangered species, ethics, fisheries, sustainability
1 Comment
Horse Meat (again)
Two days ago I blogged about Horse Meat Ethics. I discussed the fact that eating horse is considered taboo (in many places), and that slaughtering horses is illegal in the U.S., despite the fact that a) horse is widely eaten … Continue reading
Posted in activism, agriculture, animal rights, animal welfare, ethics, meat, values
1 Comment
PETA and Fur in Canada
This one isn’t strictly about food, but the relevance is pretty clear. The question: in a nation (i.e., Canada) built, once upon a time, on the fur trade, can a politician wrap his family in fur and win a public … Continue reading
Posted in activism, animal rights, animal welfare, ethics
1 Comment
Are Self-Righteous Foodies Self-Defeating?
Here’s a lovely, thoughtful piece from NYT food blogger Peter Meehan: Grass Fed | A Few Beefs The piece consists of 3 anecdotes. In each, Meehan — himself a serious foodie — is either subjected to, or sees someone else … Continue reading
Prince Charles on Impending Agricultural Doom
Prince Charles — heir to the throne of England — has made a hobby of expressing opinions on everything from architecture to nanotechnology. For the most part, he lacks the requisite expertise to expound upon these topics, and so he … Continue reading
Posted in activism, advertising, factory farms
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What’s the Point of Urban Farming?
Some people’s enthusiasm for urban farming is downright infectious. See, for example, this article: Will Allen and The Urban Farming Revolution, by Ethan Zuckerman. Will Allen is redefining farming. His farm is a set of greenhouses in a corner of … Continue reading
Posted in activism, agriculture, aquaculture, ecosystems, environment, farmers, kids, labour, values
2 Comments
GMO Vigilantes
The world of GM foods is apparently reinventing the spaghetti western. In Italy these days, the debate over GM has turned into a wild-west-style battle between vigilantes. Here’s the story, from Elisabeth Rosenthal, writing in the NYT: In the Fields … Continue reading
Part-Time Vegetarianism
Ethically speaking, does vegetarianism need to be an all-or-nothing thing? The current issue of Time has this piece on the topic: Weekday Vegetarians Part-time vegetarians, a.k.a. flexitarians, choose what to eat and when. The popular Meatless Monday movement, which began … Continue reading
Posted in activism, animal welfare, environment, ethics, vegetarianism
2 Comments
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