The Ethical Consumer at Thanksgiving – Green Recipe Tips for Turkeys
“On Thanksgiving Day when Americans give thanks for the abundance of food on their table, they should also appreciate the global impact of what they are eating,” say WSPA representatives. “Making humane choices when shopping for a turkey and other holiday groceries is a simple yet powerful way to make a difference.”
Whether being an ethical consumer is new to you or you could write a book on it, you’ll find the Big Green Cookbook: Hundreds of Planet-Pleasing Recipes and Tips for a Luscious, Low-Carbon Lifestyle helpful! Click the cover for details, and read on for green recipe tips for turkeys…
The Ethical Consumer at Thanksgiving – Green Recipe Tips for Turkeys
“Understanding food labels and, in turn, making humane choices for your turkey, eggs and milk can have a substantial impact on animal welfare, the environment and your health,” says Sharanya Krishna Prasad, a WSPA U.S. programs officer. “We want people to know that choosing certain foods can help save our planet. What better day to start than on Thanksgiving?”
Green Recipe Tips for Turkeys
When shopping for a Thanksgiving turkey, look for these labels: “Pasture Raised,” “USDA Organic,” “American Humane Certified,” “Animal Welfare Approved” or “Certified Humane.” These labels indicate that animals were generally raised under more humane standards and were given access to sunlight, fresh air, and freedom of movement. They were also spared non-therapeutic antibiotics and growth-promoting hormones.
Avoid misleading labels such as “Natural” or “Naturally Raised.” While “Naturally Raised” ensures animals were not given antibiotics or hormones, this claim does not require that the animals have freedom, fresh air or sunlight. The term “Natural” has no relevance to animal welfare and merely indicates that the product was minimally processed and contains no dyes or preservatives.
Avoid serving multiple meat entrées at Thanksgiving. Instead, add a meatless entrée choice such as ratatouille, lasagna, vegetable chili or meatless shepherd’s pie. If you need help planning your Thanksgiving dinner, read 6 Decisions to Make Before Thanksgiving Day.
Do not add meat (like sausage) to your stuffing. Instead use veggies, fruits or nuts. Not only does this green recipe tip help you be an ethical consumer, it lowers the fat content of your turkey dinner!
Use vegetable broth in place of turkey or chicken broth for gravies and sauces. Again, this green recipe tip is a low-fat alternative to the traditional turkey or chicken gravy.
Substitute soy milk, vegetable broth, or water, for cow’s milk in squash and corn soups. Use soy milk instead of cow’s milk in mashed potatoes and in corn and green bean casseroles, and substitute soy milk for cow’s milk in pie crusts and fillings.
Substitute “Egg Replacer” for chicken eggs in cornbread and other breads, cakes and desserts. And, try frozen non-dairy dessert on top of pies or cakes.
“If every person in the U.S. cut meat out of their diet for just one day it would save over 200,000 tons of food and nearly two million tons of CO2-equivalent emissions,” says Prasad. “That amount could feed an estimated two million people in need. By choosing humane labels, reducing meat in your diet and minimizing meat products in your side dishes, you can curb your carbon footprint and have something to truly be thankful for.”
To simplify Thanksgiving dinner, read 9 Ways to Make Your Thanksgiving Day Dinner Easy.
If you’re invited to a potluck on Thanksgiving, check out these 8 Thanksgiving Gift Ideas for Turkey Day.
And, if you have any questions or thoughts on being an ethical consumer at Thanksgiving – or need more green recipe tips – please comment below!
For more information on food labels and humane eating visit EatHumane.org. WSPA has built the world’s largest alliance – over 1,000 animal welfare groups in 150 countries –dedicated to alleviating animal suffering.
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Comment by Beth on 26 October 2009:
Thank you for reminding us about the choices we have in planning our upcoming Thanksgiving meals. We encourage consumers to look for pasture-raised turkeys!