Letter to the editor: Animal products don't just affect our health

I read the recent opinion piece in the Daily Cardinal “The hard truth about red meat” (Samantha Wilcox, November 10), and was compelled to add a pertinent facet to the discussion. As Samantha covered, the recent WHO report was a shock to many who had grown up in a culture where eating meat was the norm, stating that regular consumption of red meat increases our risk of contracting cancer.

But animal products affect more than just our health. Back in 2006, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization released a report entitled ‘Livestock’s Long Shadow’ which named animal agriculture as the single largest contributor to climate change, producing 18% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. That’s more than the entire transportation industry combined! In UW-Madison dining halls, we are offered a variety of food choices, including those with a much smaller carbon footprint. But what if I told you that there was a small, simple alteration we could make to campus dining that would prevent two million grams of carbon emissions every single year?

Our friends at UW-La Crosse, Whitewater, Stevens Point, River Falls and Superior have all caught on to an exciting new initiative. Food technology startup Hampton Creek has stormed the food service industry with its environmentally-friendly versions of two common college staples, mayo and cookies. The products (‘Just Mayo’ and ‘Just Cookies’) are just as good (if not better) than their animal-based counterparts, and are dramatically better for your health and for our environment. With vigorously tested recipes, both products utilize plant proteins in the place of eggs, thus drastically reducing their impact on our planet. With over 500 colleges throughout the country replacing their mayo and cookie suppliers with Hampton Creek, it looks like the company is leading the way to a more sustainable future of food.

As a student of one of the most beautiful, progressive schools in the country, I’m ready for UW-Madison dining halls to follow Hampton Creek into that future. Are you?

Annika is a senior majoring in political science, environmental studies and international studies. Do you think we should follow other UW System schools in our food choices? Please send all comments, questions and concerns to opinion@dailycardinal.com.