You Are What You Eat: Religion, Meat, and the Moral Dilemma

In the last twenty-five years, the Muslim population of Canada has tripled. The value of the Canadian halal food market is now estimated to exceed one billion dollars. In 2021, eight in ten Indian adults reported that they restrict their meat eating in some way for a cultural reason. The same year, 34% of Americans surveyed—Jewish and non-Jewish—said they bought kosher meat out of a concern for food safety. At first glance, the world’s meat market is far from religious. But upon closer inspection, one can see that the history of meat eating is not only about survival but also about cultural bonds, personal health, and the theological clash between good and evil. The variances in meat consumption between the Islamic, Jewish, and Hindu faiths distinctly display these themes. These behaviors surrounding meat eating demonstrate, on a small scale, what it is to be a human being in a society, and how our everyday actions indicate our deeper desire to do “right.” Panel info: High Stakes: Faith, Control and Consumption Moderator: Professor Natan Meir