Those crazy kids at PETA are up to their PR tricks again. Their latest stunt is to try to get people to consider a tofu diet by promoting an imaginary product called CloFu – tofu that smells like George Clooney.
Interestingly enough, Clooney does not follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, but PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk believes that by creating a tofu that smells like the popular American actor and heartthrob, it will encourage people to eat more humanely and consume a diet that is better for the environment.
“…What interests us most is that we would attract many people who don't try tofu because they worry that it would be bland or that they wouldn't know how to cook it. CloFu will help people be healthier and more environmentally friendly and will spare animals from being killed for the table,” explains Newkirk in a letter written to Clooney.
It is inarguable that a vegetarian diet is better for the environment. Compassionate World Farming explains, “Meat is the most resource costly form of food because livestock wastes most of the energy and protein value of their feed in digestion and bodily maintenance”. It takes more than 2,500 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef, 40 times more water than it takes to produce a pound of potatoes. Even eating one meat free meal a week makes an important contribution to reducing greenhouse gases.
However, we are not convinced that substituting tofu or CloFu for meat is the best solution. Many individuals choose to eat a vegetarian or vegan diet as the more humane eating option and because it is better for the planet. Clearly, choosing to consume tofu rather than meat alleviates suffering, but tofu also comes with a few of its own environmental problems.
Considering that 90% of the soy crop in America is Monsanto’s Roundup Ready Soy Beans, each time someone consumes soy products that are not clearly marked as - organic and/or non-gmo - they are likely to be supporting Monsanto (the largest producer of Frankenfoods in the world). Soy crops also contribute to deforestation in the Rainforest (Brazil is the largest exporter of soy in the world), so simply substituting meat for soy may not be quite as simple as PETA wants people to think.
Read our article on Deforestation and Climate Change.
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