LETTER: Less Meat is a Great Option for Harvard Students

To the editors:

Thank you for your timely Sept. 21, 2010 editorial “Beat the Meat.” According to Aramark (a leading food service provider to schools nationwide), one in four college students is actively seeking vegan options when they sit down to eat, and according to Jonathan Safran Foer (a best-selling author who spoke at Harvard last week), 18 percent of college students now identify as vegetarian.

Your article also comes at a point when the American Dietetic Association (the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals) has announced that vegetarian diets are associated with a lower risk of cancer, diabetes, and obesity; at a point when a United Nations report has concluded that a global shift toward a vegan diet is necessary to combat the worst effects of climate change; and at a point when billions of animals are being abused on factory farms in ways that would be illegal if dogs and cats were the victims—such as pigs having their testicles cut off and birds having their sensitive beaks seared off, all without painkiller.

Your thesis that Harvard University Hospitality and Dining Services should educate students about the harmful effects of meat-eating, provide more vegetarian options, and reduce the amount of meat served makes a good deal of sense. But students don’t need to wait for HUHDS to make changes in order to start helping animals, the environment, and themselves. During my time at Harvard, I had fun exploring the creative vegan options HUHDS already serves, like delicious tofu fajitas; hearty black beans, rice, and fried plantains; and the trusty vegan chick’n patties always available at the grill.

ALENE G. ANELLO ’10

Cambridge, Mass.

Sept. 21, 2010

Alene G. Anello ’10 studied psychology at Harvard College.