Americans blind to treatment of turkeys raised for food

Thanksgiving is a time for feasting, family and football. Early Americans celebrated the holiday to commemorate peace and an abundant harvest. Now, it's the one day of the year that we stuff ourselves beyond content, all in the name of gratitude. 

As we all sit before dinner with loved ones, I urge everyone to examine where their food really comes from. Are your vegetables from a local farmer's market or the grocery store shelf? Are the various side dishes prepared from scratch or did they come out of a box filled with preservatives with names that you can't even pronounce? Last but not least, do you know your turkey? Where it came from? What it was fed and what kind of conditions it lived in?

A Butterball turkey has become the quintessential centerpiece of an all-American Thanksgiving. To many, the holiday wouldn't be complete without it. 

In our country, more than 45 million turkeys are slaughtered just for Thanksgiving dinner consumption. Given the large demand, one is forced to wonder how meat suppliers keep up. The solution is not as pretty as you'd think.

Turkeys are one of the half-dozen or so animals that are raised on factory farms in the U.S. For those of you not familiar, factory farming consists of raising thousands of animals at a given time in close confinement for maximum efficiency. The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the conditions and practices on these farms, and animal welfare is of no concern.

Features of factory farms include cramming large numbers of animals in confined areas that allow for little, if any, movement. The extensive use of antibiotics and pesticides are used to help fight the spread of disease and bacteria. Also, genetic engineering is prevalent and growth hormones are administered to animals to stimulate faster growth or to produce a more desirable end product. 

But back to Tom Turkey. 

Turkeys on factory farms are hatched in large incubators and at a few weeks of age, transferred to massive, dirty warehouses, some of which house up to 25,000 turkeys. Due to the confined quarters, the birds' beaks and claws are chopped off with hot blades to prevent them from wounding one other. This practice is completed without sedation or any medication to alleviate pain.

According to PETA, millions of turkeys die before maturation at only five or six months in age due to the highly stressful conditions within which they live. The ones that do live are bred, drugged and genetically manipulated to grow as large as possible as fast as possible—all in the name of greater profit.

When the time comes to head to the slaughterhouse, turkeys are literally thrown into crates that are then piled into massive trucks without food or water. This trip often takes hours and exposes the animals to extreme weather conditions with little protection. Many are spared the merciless slaying at the truck's destination, only as a result of death during this transport.

Finally, an animal that has suffered and survived its short, distressed life is transformed into the plastic wrapped bird that we see in the grocery store freezer.

Upon arrival at the slaughterhouse, turkeys are hung upside down by their frail legs and then their heads are dipped into electrified stunning tanks. This immobilizes but rarely kills the birds. At the next step, many birds are conscious when their throats are slit. Should this fail to work, turkeys are then scalded alive in vats of hot water used for feather removal. 

So, why am I telling you this? Contrary to popular belief, ignorance is not bliss; ignorance is ignorance. And in this day and age, consumers should know what they're eating. 

Forty years ago, the average turkey raised for meat weighed 17 pounds. Today, the average turkey, raised for the exact same reason, tips the scales at 28 pounds. Turkeys have become so obese that nearly all turkeys born in the U.S. are a product of artificial insemination. In addition, many birds become crippled due to their weight and die of organ failure or heart attack.

For an extra 11 pounds of meat, factory farmers are treating turkeys with growth hormones. The result of this treatment is a bird that gets fatter much quicker than it would naturally. These chemicals remain in the animal and are ultimately consumed by us. This can't be good for us and I shudder to think of the long-term health effects.

In raising America's meat, factory farmers are treating animals with pesticides and antibiotics to combat the filthy, ammonia-ridden spaces in which these animals are being raised. This practice is also now concerning medical experts that consumption of this meat is attributing to Americans' increased resistance to antibiotics. 

Last year, the FDA finally revealed exactly how many antibiotics these corporations were using. In 2009, factory farms were responsible for the use of 29 million pounds of antibiotics on animals being raised for human consumption.

The pollution created by these farms is staggering as well. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, factory-farmed animals in the U.S. produce 61 millions tons of waste each year. The Environmental Protection Agency also reports that polluted runoff from factory farms and other industrial farms is the biggest water pollution problem in the country.

Animal cruelty, food treated with growth hormones and antibiotics and massive amounts of pollution. This is the truth behind your Thanksgiving turkey.

If you still want to make your Turkey Day as awesome as ever, try some of the following. Be an informed consumer and demand more information about the food you eat. Support the farmers in your region—this will be some of the freshest, chemical-free food you can purchase while supporting local agriculture. Buy certified organic. The FDA has strict guidelines and standards for organic food.