In an interview with Elysabeth Alfano on The Plantbased Business Hour, Dr. Aaron Gross, co-Founder of DefaultVeg and Eating Animals contributor, was scathing about the deleterious impacts of factory farms. “Are people ready to revolt over Coronavirus and factory worker treatment?” he asked knowingly.
Dr. Gross’ main prediction is that “In the next three to five years, I think people are finally going to get pissed…We’re not there yet, but everybody who pays attention to a little bit of what’s going on in the media that is covering (Coronavirus in slaughterhouses and worker’s rights) gets furious in a way I haven’t seen before.”
To hear the 2-minute conversation in Dr. Gross’ words, click here.
Just prior to demonstrations and cries of social justice in the wake of the George Floyd murder, Dr. Gross discussed factory farms as breeding grounds for disease, animal welfare atrocities, workers’ rights issues, and his predictions for the future regarding people no longer tolerating abuse. Eerily, we are seeing his predictions play out now in some respects with regard to public eruption over social justice issues, even though current protests are entirely not factory farm and work rights related. Gross believes that people will make the connection that overlooking animal and worker suffering leads us to having a society that is willing to ignore suffering of all types, including those of our African American brothers and sisters.
Factory farms and meatpacking plants are some of the most dangerous places to work in the United States, according to Gross. Workers in factory farms are dying and the industry averages two lost limbs a week. “There’s not enough people outraged as there should be at the fact that we literally are killing people to produce more meat.”
Further, Dr. Gross believes people will get angry about how much money Big Ag receives for all the harm they do to animals, workers, and the planet. He anticipates that the public will decide that a new system must be put in place: a plant-based food system. “We’re going to find that people agree that (a plant-based food system) is better for stopping climate change and preventing future pandemics.”
So how do we get there? Gross co-founded DefaultVeg to normalize eating vegetables across the country. The idea of DefaultVeg is simply to switch out the food options in cafeterias, public spaces, buffets, corporate dining halls, etc. to plant-based options with meat and dairy available upon request. Veggies forward, upfront, and in large supply.
As Dr. Gross told Elysabeth, “People are going to begin to say no to factory farming. It will be a very empowering moment for the consumer.”
The Plantbased Business Hour with Elysabeth Alfano features news and interviews with the CEOs, leaders, innovators, analysts, and investors building a plant-based marketplace. The show airs live every Tuesday and Thursday at 1p PT on FB, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, JaneUnChained News Network, and all podcast platforms.
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