• World
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Central & South Asia
    • Europe
    • Latin America & Caribbean
    • Middle East & North Africa
    • North America
  • Coronavirus
  • Politics
    • US Election
    • US politics
    • Joe Biden
    • Brexit
    • European Union
    • India
    • Arab world
  • Economics
    • Finance
    • Eurozone
    • International Trade
  • Business
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Startups
    • Technology
  • Culture
    • Entertainment
    • Music
    • Film
    • Books
    • Travel
  • Environment
    • Climate change
    • Smart cities
    • Green Economy
  • Global Change
    • Education
    • Refugee Crisis
    • International Aid
    • Human Rights
  • International Security
    • ISIS
    • War on Terror
    • North Korea
    • Nuclear Weapons
  • Science
    • Health
  • 360 °
  • The Interview
  • In-Depth
  • Insight
  • Quick Read
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Interactive
  • My Voice
  • About
  • FO Store
Sections
  • World
  • Coronavirus
  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Sign Up
  • Login
  • Publish

Make Sense of the world

Unique insight from 2,000+ contributors in 80+ Countries

Close

Going Vegan in the Time of Corona

In these dystopian times of social distancing and the curtailment of freedoms, we can choose to voluntarily change our approach to food.
By Alicja Rybkowska • Apr 10, 2020
Zoonotic disease, COVID-19 origin, animal welfare, going vegan, coronavirus going vegan, vegan news, pangolin coronavirus, bats covid-19, Alicja Rybkowska, covid-19 impact on environment

© DOERS / Shutterstock

Given the restrictions introduced to curtail the global spread of COVID-19, many people are experiencing significant changes to their eating habits. Current regulations are affecting both local and global supply chains. Even in the regions where they remain stable, fear of shortages during a lockdown prompted many to stockpile food. In mid-March, the media worldwide posted pictures of empty supermarket shelves, which only encouraged further panic buying.

Now, citizens around the world must limit their visits to supermarkets to an essential minimum. Online shopping is no longer an alternative as waiting times for deliveries can be weeks long. In many countries, restaurants are closed, and even ordering a takeaway is no longer possible. Hence, many people are turning to canned foods and dry goods instead of typical, day-to-day purchases. Working from home, they need to prepare their own meals. School closures in many countries mean that parents have to provide nutrition for whole families around the clock.

Unhappy Meat

This is a good time to reflect on our personal food preferences and habits, as well as the global system of its production and consumption. After all, the novel coronavirus seems to have first appeared at a food market in Wuhan, China. It is widely assumed to originate in bats, with pangolins being the intermediary in transferring the disease to humans. Pangolin, the most trafficked animal in the world, is a delicacy in China. Its scales are thought to have healing properties, which poses a further threat to this nocturnal mammal. Its poor vision makes it easy prey for poachers.

The custom of selling living animals at markets, often located in urban settings, seems horrific to the Western world. Probably the biggest difference is that such practices undermine the “happy meat” approach to production and retail adopted in the West. It argues that the regulation of farming and slaughtering conditions is enough to render meat consumption morally unproblematic. This position holds that industrial livestock production does not need to conflict with animal welfare. Its best articulation is the EU’s aim to ensure that animals do not endure avoidable pain or suffering. The question of which types of suffering are unavoidable remains open.

However, a zoonotic disease pandemic — one in which an infection is passed from animals to humans, like the current coronavirus — indicates clearly that animal welfare and human welfare are interconnected. Many potentially deadly human diseases originated in animals. While some of them, like rabies or Zika, are not related to farming practices, many of them are.

Embed from Getty Images

The rapid increase in global meat production translates into a constantly increasing risk of spreading existing diseases as well as of the emergence of new ones. Animal farming relies on an unnatural diet, with breeds lacking genetic diversity and enduring prolonged stress, making them especially prone to infections. High population density and poor sanitation make meat production and retail sites potential sources of new outbreaks.

Contrary to popular belief, the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which took place long before the achievement of the current intensity of meat production, originated not in Spain — the country hit hard by the disease, thus giving the epidemic its name — but on a chicken farm in Kansas. Meat industry employees, often low-skilled and unaware of the biological risk, work in extreme temperatures and are regularly exposed to animal secretions. The system creates not only incubating zones for viral infections, but also potential super-spreaders.

Struggling to maintain our eating habits under extensive restrictions, we may take this opportunity to adjust them. In these dystopian times of spatial distancing and the curtailment of freedoms, we can choose to voluntarily change our approach to food. Thus, we could contribute to one undeniable positive effect of the COVID-19 pandemic — that upon the environment. However, if the big-cause incentive is too broad to be convincing, there are more reasons to change to a plant-based diet.

Why Not Eat Vegan for a Change?

Firstly, it is practical. Changes in grocery supplies and purchases mean that many people have to cook inventively, using the products available and not what they would typically buy. Relying on meat and dairy increases the risk that some of the key ingredients will not be available. The more types of products we include in our diet, the easier it becomes to compose healthy, sustainable meals. It is a great way to include new flavors in the daily menu when cooking and eating becomes monotonous.

A plant-based diet also helps to reduce the frequency of buying groceries and to optimize their storage, as essential ingredients such as legumes, nuts, seeds or nutritional yeast have long shelf-lives and do not need to be refrigerated. They can be purchased in larger quantities without the risk of being wasted.

Secondly, it improves time management. Extra time to cook at home may be used for experimentation. And, conversely, if reducing the time spent in the kitchen is the goal, vegan dishes are suitable for meal prepping since they are often less perishable than animal-based products.

Thirdly, cooking is a great way to deal with the current confinement. Studies in psychology suggest that taking up a new activity or learning a new skill gives us a sense of self-agency and control. Exploring vegan cuisine could also foster interaction with the vegan community online and promote an exchange of ideas in times of spatial distancing. Self-isolation is a time of tranquility as much as it is a time of uncertainty and concern. It offers time and space to question our choices and priorities.

If eating a pangolin is unimaginable to many of us, so could be the consumption of other animals. When we are all forced to change our lifestyles and reconsider our priorities, one more change may seem to be less of a challenge. Or, if challenges and new projects are what one needs in isolation, going vegan could be a good start in preparation for the inevitable future outbreaks of similar diseases.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.

Share Story
Categories360° Analysis, Coronavirus, Health, Insight, Science TagsAlicja Rybkowska, animal welfare, bats covid-19, coronavirus going vegan, covid-19 impact on environment, COVID-19 origin, going vegan, pangolin coronavirus, vegan news, Zoonotic disease
Join our network of more than 2,000 contributors to publish your perspective, share your story and shape the global conversation. Become a Fair Observer and help us make sense of the world.

READ MORE IN THIS 360° SERIES

The Lockdown in India Reveals the Nation Has Lost Its Soul
By Avay Shukla • Jul 03, 2020
The Heroes and the Martyrs of New York’s Battle With COVID-19
By Luca Zanchi • Jun 27, 2020
How Will COVID-19 Shape Our Society?
By Atul Singh • Jun 26, 2020
COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Have Real-World Consequences
By Gary Buswell • Jun 18, 2020
Will COVID-19 Help Us End Food Waste?
By Emil Wasteson • Jun 17, 2020
COVID-19 Brings an Epidemic of “Othering”
By Hariz Fauzan Othman • Jun 11, 2020
The Deadly Disorder Behind COVID-19 and Police Violence
By Iziah Thompson • Jun 03, 2020
India Comes Together During Coronavirus Pandemic
By Anuraag Saxena • May 29, 2020
Keeping the Academic Community Connected During the Pandemic
By Alicja Rybkowska • May 28, 2020
Abuse in Lockdown: Gender Violence in the Philippines
By Christianne France Collantes • May 20, 2020
Indonesia’s Policy Over Travel Leads to Confusion for Eid
By Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat • May 20, 2020
COVID-19 Will Have Long-Lasting Effects on Migration
By Michelle L. O'Brien & Maureen A. Eger • May 14, 2020
The Colorful World of Coronavirus Conspiracies
By Hans-Georg Betz • May 13, 2020
A Better Way to Connect in Lockdown
By William Softky • May 11, 2020
No, 5G Didn't Cause the Coronavirus Pandemic
By Beau Peters • May 11, 2020
Hate in the Time of Coronavirus
By Kitty Shropshire • May 07, 2020
Bringing Stranded Workers in Indian Cities Back to Their Villages
By Chittaranjan Kaul • Apr 30, 2020
During the Coronavirus Pandemic, Migrant Workers Are Being Overlooked
By Brennan Kau • Apr 30, 2020
Finding Work in the Middle of a Pandemic
By Beau Peters • Apr 28, 2020
The Indian Government Is Failing Its People
By Sandeep Pandey • Apr 24, 2020
There Is No Escaping Coronavirus Advice from Celebs
By Ellis Cashmore • Apr 11, 2020
Anne Frank’s Amsterdam: Remembering Our Privilege in Times of Pandemic
By Colleen Boland • Apr 03, 2020
Making the Best of Social Distancing
By William Softky • Mar 27, 2020
The Art of Social Distancing According to Hannah Arendt
By Kate Bracht • Mar 23, 2020
The News Media and Public Health Crises
By Virgil Hawkins • Mar 19, 2020
Faced With the Coronavirus Challenge to Our Humanity, We Have Been Found Wanting
By Hans-Georg Betz • Mar 18, 2020
Xenophobia and Denial: Coronavirus Outbreak in Historical Context
By Hans-Georg Betz • Feb 28, 2020

Post navigation

Previous PostPrevious Wells Fargo’s Crimes Will Be Forgiven
Next PostNext The Gray Lady and Withdrawing US Troops From Afghanistan
Subscribe
Register for $9.99 per month and become a member today.
Publish
Join our community of more than 2,500 contributors to publish your perspective, share your narrative and shape the global discourse.
Donate
We bring you perspectives from around the world. Help us to inform and educate. Your donation is tax-deductible.

Explore

  • About
  • Authors
  • FO Store
  • FAQs
  • Republish
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact

Regions

  • Africa
  • Asia Pacific
  • Central & South Asia
  • Europe
  • Latin America & Caribbean
  • Middle East & North Africa
  • North America

Topics

  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Environment
  • Global Change
  • International Security
  • Science

Sections

  • 360°
  • The Interview
  • In-Depth
  • Insight
  • Quick Read
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Interactive
  • My Voice

Daily Dispatch


© Fair Observer All rights reserved
We Need Your Consent
We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. Learn more about how we use cookies or edit your cookie preferences. Privacy Policy. My Options I Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Edit Cookie Preferences

The Fair Observer website uses digital cookies so it can collect statistics on how many visitors come to the site, what content is viewed and for how long, and the general location of the computer network of the visitor. These statistics are collected and processed using the Google Analytics service. Fair Observer uses these aggregate statistics from website visits to help improve the content of the website and to provide regular reports to our current and future donors and funding organizations. The type of digital cookie information collected during your visit and any derived data cannot be used or combined with other information to personally identify you. Fair Observer does not use personal data collected from its website for advertising purposes or to market to you.

As a convenience to you, Fair Observer provides buttons that link to popular social media sites, called social sharing buttons, to help you share Fair Observer content and your comments and opinions about it on these social media sites. These social sharing buttons are provided by and are part of these social media sites. They may collect and use personal data as described in their respective policies. Fair Observer does not receive personal data from your use of these social sharing buttons. It is not necessary that you use these buttons to read Fair Observer content or to share on social media.

 
Necessary
Always Enabled

These cookies essential for the website to function.

Analytics

These cookies track our website’s performance and also help us to continuously improve the experience we provide to you.

Performance
Uncategorized

This cookie consists of the word “yes” to enable us to remember your acceptance of the site cookie notification, and prevents it from displaying to you in future.

Preferences
Save & Accept