Senator Barack Obama responds to a question from vegan, Nikki Benoit, during a public meeting at Gibbs High School, Saint Petersburg, Florida (August 1st, 2008)
The transcript of the conversation ...
Senator Barack Obama responds to a question from vegan, Nikki Benoit, during a public meeting at Gibbs High School, Saint Petersburg, Florida (August 1st, 2008)
The transcript of the conversation between Nikki and now president-elect Obama appears below...
Senator Barack Obama: The young lady in the t-shirt, right there.
Nikki Benoit: Thank you, Senator, very much for your strong environmental position.
The United Nations actually has reiterated that factory farming is contributing more to global greenhouse gas emissions than all of transportation. I think that as a global community we really need to be the leader and moving more towards non-factory farming animal agriculture. It's very egregious. There's 10 billion land animals that we are funnelling our precious water and grain through when 70 per cent of all of our grain could help feed the world's hungry. So, as the next leader of the most amazing nation in the world, how can we set the example on the more nutritional, plant-based diet that's more eco-friendly and sustainable, that can maintain our water resources and all of our grain. Thank you very much.
Senator Barack Obama: Okay. Well, it's a great question.
Now, I have to say in the interests of full disclosure, that I do like a steak once in a while. I'm just being honest. I like barbecue. I'm not going to lie. But the young lady makes a very important point and that is this: right now, our food system world-wide is under enormous pressure. It's under enormous pressure because as a consequence of climate change, you've had severe changes in weather patterns. We don't fully understand what these effects are. But, for example, Australia's had huge drought which has taken a lot of crops. Grain production has been much lower. And supplies are tight. You're starting to see riots around food in places like Haiti and other poor countries around the world. And what is also true is that as countries like China and India become wealthier, they start changing their food habits; they start eating more meat, more animals. And what happens then is because it takes more grain to produce a pound of beef than if they were just eating the grain, what ends up happening is that it puts huge pressure on food supplies.
Americans would actually benefit from a change in diet. I don't think that that's something that we should legislate but I think that it is something that, as part of our overall health care system, we should encourage because, for example if we reduced obesity down to the rates that existed in 1980, we would save the medicare system a trillion dollars. We would reduce diabetes rates. We would reduce heart disease. So, the fact that we subsidise some of these big agribusiness operations that are not necessarily producing healthy food and we discourage, or we don't subsidise, farmers who are producing fruits and vegetables and small scale farming that gets produce immediately to consumers as opposed to having it processed. The fact that we are not doing more to make sure that healthy food is in the schools. All those things don't make sense. It is important for us to re-examine our overall food policy so that we're encouraging good habits and not bad habits. For example, just making sure there are more fruits and vegetables in school lunch programs. That would make an enormous difference in how our children's diets develop. That would make us healthier over the long term. It would cut our health care costs and maybe it would help people elsewhere in the world, who are in less wealthy countries, feed themselves as well. So, it's a great question. It's important.
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Robotically operated hydroponics. Powered by magnetic propulsion engines. For all food. Plant fruit and nut trees instead of any other trees. Food everywhere.
Stop pushing this bullshit. The problem I have on you vegays is that you push this shit on us like some kind of church. you guys are worse the Radical Musilems. I dont shove my bugers down your throat so keep your carrots out of mine. Weve been eating meat for thousands of years and the sky hasnt fallen yet. And now even the very thought of make some bullshit laws about our diet endangers our great republic. Go to france and be pussy. I thought this was the home of the brave you discuss me.
Humans are frugivores digesting fruit best w/opposing digestive processes to meat consumption. It has nothing to do w/being 'humane'. Acting 'humane' is bringing in a moral issue when there is NO nutritional reason for such modern diets of animal fat.
If u have any experience w/exclusionary diets u would know that there is NOTHING 'humane' about feeding others meat. 'humane' meat kills more ppl than all wars combined
He says this is something that can't be legislated. I disagree; it has to be legislated. Sure, you cannot force people to change their diet, but you can make it easier for them to have access to information and to certain food types. Vegans/vegetarians are sometimes treated as second-class citizens, simply because their dietary choice is not acknowledged. Why should we have to jump though hoops to find something to eat? Why can't regular restaurants cater for us? Legislation could solve this.
I couldn't agree more. Just having a few vegan options on every menu would raise awareness, and benefit everybody all at once. I don't see why this hasn't already been done.
@fbjnsxfrnnds, really, vegetarians are second-class citizens? Are they denied voting rights? Jobs? Forced to sit in the back of the bus? No, they're not. By saying that you're mocking the struggle real second-class citizens go through.
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Just BBQ non animal products, its still as great.
endangers our great republic. Go to france and be pussy. I thought this was the home of the brave you discuss me.
Humans don't 'animal farm'
Humans are frugivores digesting fruit best w/opposing digestive processes to meat consumption. It has nothing to do w/being 'humane'. Acting 'humane' is bringing in a moral issue when there is NO nutritional reason for such modern diets of animal fat.
If u have any experience w/exclusionary diets u would know that there is NOTHING 'humane' about feeding others meat. 'humane' meat kills more ppl than all wars combined
Just having a few vegan options on every menu would raise awareness, and benefit everybody all at once.
I don't see why this hasn't already been done.