conscientious omnivore

In the second reading assignment for Singer's The Ethics of What We Eat, an interesting family is introduced to us. Mary Ann and Jim, with daughters Maya and Delia, live in Fairfield, Connecticut. With both parents working and the children attending school, it seems a typical, hectic life many live...with one exception. This family is one of the most conscientious I have ever heard of. While still managing to get through their day, they take the time to do some research about the food they eat and purchase and take learned information into account when shopping. The wife and kids are omnivores (wife used to be vegetarian with husband before kids) and the husband is strictly vegetarian...sometimes eating an occasional fish (depending on its origins and treatment). What's great is that even the kids embrace this lifestyle of "awareness". They take pride in their gardens and seem to have a more complex palette than most children. (I want to try that chick pea recipe!) While their purchases are more expensive than the typical Americans, they balance the cost of products with the cost of the treatment and conditions experienced by the animals they are eating or the byproducts these animals produce.
The parents recognize a number of factors that affect their diets...including price, time, easiness (in preparation), and what their children like. I find these to be typical of the general population, but these obstacles don't keep this family from becoming more familiar with the food industry and the products put out on the market.
In a Utopian world, Jim's diet would be most favorable for all (environment, animals, humans...) but we will never find ourselves in such a condition. A combination of vegetarians and conscientious omnivores seems a more attainable combination for society. A shift towards self-education on the consumers-part needs to be pushed. This curiosity in food production should also be geared towards the youth; starting young with kids on what foods are good, and how theses products actually get to the kitchen table will carry on with them throughout their lives.
And there seems to be a number of reasons that will work for people to be more conscientious in their purchases...like the environmental impact of farms (runoff), the amount of grains used (and wasted) for feed (for animals that don't naturally consume grain), the poor treatment of the animals (while alive and in slaughtering process), the potential health risks for humans consuming animals and their products (antibiotics, diseases, hormones...), and the differences in quality/taste of the products. Perhaps it will be like Mary Ann says, "as more consumers get aware, they make demands and create new markets"..."[and] little by little there are more food choices available and affordable" (Singer, 91).