COVID-19 Sees More than One in 10 Adults Express Interest in Vegan Eating
A recent report revealed that more than one in 10 adults in the UK agree that the COVID-19 pandemic has made vegan eating more appealing – and for good reason.
Factory-farm sheds crowded with thousands of chickens, pigs, or cows; bloody abattoirs; and “wet markets” selling the flesh of wild animals are all breeding grounds for pathogens like the one that caused the COVID-19 pandemic. Vegan foods, on the other hand, have never been linked to a major pandemic.
It’s plain to see that this is a catastrophe we’re very much at risk of repeating, and the danger won’t go away unless we take action.
Eating Meat Has Deadly Consequences
The COVID-19 pandemic is thought to have originated at a wet market in the city of Wuhan, China. According to The Guardian, “Like other coronaviruses, it originated in animals and then migrated to humans. … Many of those initially infected either worked or frequently shopped in the Huanan seafood wholesale market in the centre of the city, which also sold live and newly slaughtered animals.”
The deadly disease isn’t the only one linked to humans’ insatiable demand for meat, eggs, and dairy. According to Public Health England, “Many (60 to 80% [of]) emerging infections are derived from an animal source.”
PETA Asia
Swine flu – which is linked to pigs – killed thousands of people worldwide. And bird flu, or avian flu can spread easily on a crowded chicken farm. There are at least 144 different strains of bird flu. The H5N1 variety kills the most birds and is deadly to humans, killing about 60% of those who catch it.
© Jo-Anne McArthur / Animal Equality
Eating Meat Puts Abattoir Workers at Risk, Too
Animals exploited for their flesh are subjected to unimaginable horrors at abattoirs. They’re often scalded to death or dismembered while they’re still conscious. And while those animals are tormented and butchered, humans in that bloody environment are suffering, too – especially because of COVID-19.
Because of their frigid temperatures and cramped conditions, abattoirs around the globe have become COVID-19 hotspots.
This deadly disease is sweeping through blood-soaked, offal-strewn abattoirs and endangering workers, their families, and the whole community. Just this week, a chicken meat processing plant in Devon saw a jump in COVID-19 cases among workers. While cases are falling across the county, this area in Devon is now seeing another spike.
Like wet markets, squalid abattoirs and meat factories are known to be hotbeds for disease.
Tofu Never Caused a Pandemic
Not only has tofu never caused a pandemic, the versatile food is packed with protein and contains zero cholesterol and eating it, rather than animal flesh, can lower one’s risk of suffering from heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and numerous other life-threatening health issues.
It’s no wonder so many people in the UK are interested in going vegan. Just try these recipes and see for yourself how delicious tofu can be:
What Are You Waiting For?
There’s no doubt about it: the past year has been a time for reflection – a pivotal point in our history at which we must learn from past mistakes and commit to creating a better future.
Going vegan is the single best thing we can do as individuals to tackle some of the biggest threats to our world. Let’s do it!
