Thanksgiving Food Through an Ethical Lens (U.S.)

In the United States, the real history of Thanksgiving is a lot more complex than the simple pageants put on by schoolchildren. We can certainly benefit from ethical reflections about the entire holiday. Still, there is no denying that the Thanksgiving feast is a beloved tradition. Over 96% of Americans say they celebrate Thanksgiving with family. The Harvest Feast is traditional in many cultures, and Thanksgiving is an opportunity prepare, mentally and physically, for a long winter ahead. So naturally, this occasion revolves around food, with many people in the States choosing traditional foods like oven-roasted turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie to serve their families.

History aside, are there any ethical concerns we need to be aware of when laying out our tables this Thanksgiving? We at Ethica examined these three traditional staples to see how they stack up.

While some vegetarians might find it unnecessary, nothing looks more traditional on a Thanksgiving table than a roasted turkey. And everyone can agree that Thanksgiving turkeys should be treated humanely, and that poultry corporations should act ethically. So just which corporate actors are behind each brand?

The most recognizable brand is Butterball, with its famous Turkey Day hotline for home cooks with roasting questions. Butterball sells more turkey than any other company in North America, much of it processed through its plant in North Carolina. But there have been questions raised about their factory practices. In 2016 footage leaked of workers mistreating turkeys, and several were convicted on animal cruelty charges. Furthermore, Butterball is owned by the Seaboard Corporation. This company has ratings in the 20s (out of 100) for corporate social responsibility, and mistreatment has been reported in their pork processing facilities as well. We are recommending to avoid Butterball and the Seaboard Corp.

You might also see brand names like Honeysuckle, Shady Brooks Farms or Honest Turkey. These are all products of the Cargill Corporation, and we are also recommending that you avoid these. According to this lawsuit recently filed by the Farm Action Alliance, Cargill uses these friendly-sounding brand names to imply that their turkeys are raised on "family farms," when in fact they rely on heavily industrialized processes which require turkeys to be "intensively confined."

Of the major brands, Jennie O turkey by Hormel seems to score the highest on most measures of corporate responsibility, but complaints exist against them also for turkey mistreatment. Large scale, industrial poultry processing has its costs.

If you want a truly ethical turkey for Thanksgiving, we recommend you look for trustworthy labels that ensure humane and ethical treatment, like Certified Humane and Global Animal Partnership. You can order a turkey directly from a farm like White Oak Pastures which guarantees their use of regenerative farming and that their animals are pasture-raised.

Finally, if you want to avoid the prospect of animal mistreatment altogether, you could turn to a non-meat alternative like "Stuffed Beast" by Very Good Butchers. This inventive, plant-based roast generously serves 4-6, and there is little risk that the chickpeas were suffering.

Turkey is available year-round, but we also examined another dish, consumed almost exclusively at Thanksgiving - cranberry sauce. Most of the cranberry products in the U.S. are brought to you by the familiar brand Ocean Spray. Rather than a typical corporation, Ocean Spray is "an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 650 cranberry growers in USA." But like other big businesses, they have a poor record on the environment. Ocean Spray cranberries are grown in bogs and with intensive use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, which are drained back into local waterways once the berries are harvested. Ocean Spray has resisted organic farming as too expensive.

But, other companies are showing that it can be done, so consider replacing the Ocean Spray with cranberries from Fresh Meadows Cranberries. This actually is a family owned business dedicated to setting the standard for organic cranberry farming.

Lastly, what Thanksgiving dinner would be complete without pumpkin pie? If you have the time and the inclination for home baking, check out this recipe for Ethical Pumpkin Pie. The authors claim that the named brands are all made by unionized companies that treat their employees well.

If you choose to purchase ready-made pumpkin pie, you are not alone. Costco for example sells millions of pumpkin pies every holiday season, using the same recipe they have been using since 1987. Costco is far from a perfect company, having paid millions of dollars in fines for various violations. But Costco is notable in one regard - they are known for paying their employees a living wage and providing excellent benefits, and being a fun place to work. So if you support good labor practices, you can feel pretty good about adding their pie to your table.

These days, it's more important than ever to take time out to express gratitude. A fall holiday feast with family is a great occasion for this no matter where you live. Clearly, we can still serve our guests traditional U.S. Thanksgiving dishes, while supporting companies that do the right thing, for plants, animals and for humans. That is something to be thankful for.