Foods To Boycott
As innocent as it may seem, the food industry is as rife with problems like organized crime, violence, slavery, and environmental harm as any other. If you're a conscious consumer, chances are you care about where your food comes from and you certainly don't want to be part of the problem. To help you stay informed and make more ethical shopping choices, here are 20 problematic foods to stop buying.
1. Avocado
Everyone's favorite hipster fruit has a dark side. Not only is it an environmentally disastrous crop that requires tons of water to grow, but it also has ties to organized crime in Mexico where the cartels exploit farmers and control supply chains.
2. Foie Gras
Unless you're French nobility, chances are foie gras is not regularly on your shopping list. However, if you're an animal lover, you might want to consider boycotting it even for special occasions. Making foie gras involves force-feeding geese to the point where their livers become huge and full of fat.
3. Veal
If the fact that veal is a baby cow isn't enough to turn you off from eating it then perhaps the way they treat the animals will be. To make the meat tender, they are confined to small spaces so they can't move at all which causes them not to grow normal connective tissue.
4. Octopus
An octopus is an intelligent, sentient creature. Being kept captive in cramped tanks causes them to be under immense stress, become aggressive, and even cannibalistic.
5. Cod
In some places like th UK, cod has been dangerously over-fished. Other countries like Norway have put a strict cap on fishing cod in order to protect the species from extinction, so next time you order a fish and chips, make sure it's sourced from Norway.
6. Palm Oil
While you may not be buying palm oil to cook with, it's in many packaged foods from crackers and baked goods to chocolates. It's one of the leading drivers of deforestation and habitat destruction.
7. Chocolate
Most cocoa comes from small farmers in Africa who are heavily exploited. Child labor and slavery are rampant in cocoa farming. We're not saying to never eat chocolate because that's not a life worth living, but when you do, choose fair trade.
8. Shrimp
Shrimp farming in places like Thailand has been linked to the destruction of mangrove swamps. The industry is also responsible for using forced labor and practices that damage marine life like bottom trawling.
9. Cashews
The cashew industry is one of the worst when it comes to labor exploitation. Predominantly produced in India and Vietnam, workers often face burns from the acidic shells, violence, unsafe working conditions, and extremely low wages.
10. Quinoa
Once the Western world caught wind of quinoa, it seemed like everyone was jumping on the bandwagon. This increased the demand for the crop exponentially, causing problems for the main producers, Bolivia and Peru, including soil degradation and a sharp spike in costs. Locals could no longer afford to buy it and had to eat less nutritious grains instead.
11. Soy
Soy is used to make products like tofu, but it's also used in animal feed, making it one of the most abundant crops. As a result, the production of soy has led to copious amounts of deforestation in places like the Amazon and the Cerrado, South America's largest savannah. Slave labor in soy production is also a major problem.
12. Almonds
Almonds might look unsuspecting, but don't be fooled: a single one takes one to three gallons of water to produce, making it one of the most water-intensive crops. The almond industry has been heavily criticized in places like California where droughts are common.
13. Strawberries
Do you love strawberries? Well, unfortunately, so do pests. Therefore, they are one of the plants that require the most pesticides to grow. These harmful chemicals contaminate water, affecting everything from fish, birds, insects, and other plants and have a lasting impact on the environment.
14. Truffle Mushrooms
Anything that fetches such a hefty price is bound to have a shady side. In addition to increased demand leading to unsustainable foraging practices that ruin ecosystems, foragers get paid unfair wages and receive threats from organized crime. Thefts that end in violence are also increasingly common.
15. Coffee
We hate to say it, but coffee is one of the most unethical crops. Coffee farmers receive low wages, face tough working conditions, and unfair trade practices. It's also an unsustainable crop that's led to deforestation and a loss of biodiversity.
16. Bananas
Bananas are the most popular fruit in the world, but the industry is notorious for its history of exploitation and use of harsh chemicals that harm workers' health. In the early 20th century, big banana companies used their power to meddle in the politics of the poor countries the were dependent on the crop, referred to as "banana republics." Even today, forced labor and violence are rampant in the banana industry.
17. Tuna
Tuna is the most commonly consumed fish worldwide. As a result, it's a victim of overfishing to the point where the highly sought-after bluefin tuna is, sadly, critically endangered.
18. Sugar
The sugar industry is infamous for historically having a big hand in the slave trade, but its exploitation days are far from over. The industry continues to be criticized for unfair labor practices in places like Brazil and the Philippines. Moreover, sugar cane is water-intensive crop and its production contributes to pollution and soil degradation.
19. Beef
In addition to the ethical concerns around cattle being killed in cruel conditions in a slaughterhouse, there are environmental reasons not to eat beef as well. Cattle production is the leading contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation.
20. Wine
While the state of the world might want to make you reach for a glass of wine, you might want to think twice. Some vineyard workers face unfair working conditions and as wine takes a lot of grapes to make, solid degradation due to monoculture is worsening.
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