Student Name: Theresa Chan Wai Yee
Student Number: n8987548
Tutor: Greg Lewin Thursday 1-3pm
Analysis of the inter-relation between
animals, human and health
Through their Eyes - A special investigation of meat production
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIfNhf2TWFA
1. Cultural Artifact
Through their eyes is video that try to let people experience the meat processing procedure
in first person view and understand the cost behind dishes. They put the camera on the
chicken, using first person to reveal the procedure of meat processing. This is the selection
stage before slaughter. After passing the rigorous selection stage, chickens will be
slaughtered in 40 days. For the chicken that did not pass the selection and not useful for
the industry will be killed in machine of blender while they are still alive. This may be just
one of the important stages of processing meat in the industry, but this action is very cruel
and no human.
2. Public Health Issue
It believes that human, animals
and health are inter-related.
Animals are contributed to
human evolution and develop
the variety. Hominids start
hunting wild animals in early stage. Eating meats has developed their body composition
and become stronger. (Smil, 2013, p. 67) This eating habit is still affecting people in
nowadays. People obtain energy from meats for biologic work and maintain a healthy body.
According to Meat and livestock Australia (2015) state that Australian consumes 30.9 kg
beef and 43.9 kg chicken meat per person. However, some people start questioning about
should we consume meat. The procedure of meat processing is cruel and no human.
Animals will dispose as industry wastes because they fail in the stages of meat processing
and being slaughtered as they passed in the selection stage. The meat industry has
slaughtered around 760,000 cattle and around 1,800,000 lambs in August. (Australian
Bureau of Statistics, 2015)
3. Literature Review
3.1 Positive Health impact
High Nutrient Value
High nutrient values contribute meat to be an important food source for human. Generally,
meat mainly composes of water, protein, amino acid, fats, iron, vitamin B12 and minerals.
(Food agriculture organization of the United Nation,2015). The Australia Dietary Guideline
suggested that people should include 1-3 serves foods from meat food group per day,
based on the age.
Protein and Amino acid
Meat Protein benefit human in three
main aspects, which are contributing
growth and maintenance, helping
oxygen transportation, produce
enzymes, hormones & antibodies. For
growth and maintain, many organs, cells, bone, tendon and ligaments are compose of
protein. Without enough protein, those organs, bones, ligaments and cells cannot form and
function. In addition, insufficient intake of protein will result in loss of muscles and reduce
strength. (Smil, 2013) For transportation, red blood cells are formed by protein. Oxygen is
transport around the body by red blood cells. (Flormann,Kuder, Lipp, Wagner &
Kaestne,2015,p.474) As a result, the body will lack of oxygen if the intake of protein is
insufficient. For enzymes, hormones & antibodies, protein is major component to form
those enzymes, hormones & antibodies. As a result, our body can functioning and defends
bacteria and virus through eating enough protein. (Smil, 2013) Therefore, ingest enough
protein contributes to maintain a healthy body. Amino acid composes inside the protein. It
can be divides into two groups, essential amino acid and non-essential amino acid.
Essential amino acid built up the muscle and makes the body stronger. Insufficient intake
of amino acid indicates the intake of protein is not enough. (Smil, 2013)
Fat
Fat can be divided into three groups, which are
saturated fat, monounsaturated fat and
polyunsaturated fat. Unsaturated fat is healthy
for the body, which can reduce the level of
cholesterol and preventing heart disease.
However, saturated fat is unhealthy, because it
will increase the level of cholesterol. (Dietitians Association of Australia,2015) As a result,
people will easily having the heart disease. Store energy, being the essential nutrient and
protection are three functions of fat. First, fat is one forms of energy storage. It is a prevention
system, reserves some energy as lone term metabolic fuel and provides energy for operating
body function under the poor condition, such as neutral disorder. Second, fat is essential for
human, because some fat soluble vitamins, e.g vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K
need fat to transport around the body. Lastly, fat provides protection and keep warm. Fat
protect vital organs against trauma as it share the imulsive energy. Also, fat maintains the body
temperature as it hinders the heat loss. (Dietitian Association of Australia, 2015) By compare
different types of beef and pork products, loin contains least amount of fat.Chicken breast
contains least amount of fat in chicken products. (Smil, 2013)
3.2 Negative Health impact
High level of Saturated fat
Red meat can benefit people as it contains high level of protein. However, it also contains high
level of saturate fat. Saturated fat is unhealthy fat, which commonly find in animals-base
products. It will increase the level of cholesterol. As a result, it increases the risk of heart
disease. According to the American Heart Association, n.d recommended that the intake of
saturated should not higher than 5% - 6% calories of total energy. (Dietitians Association of
Australia, 2015)
Cancer
Base on the finding of IARC evaluation, red meat is classified as
‘probably carcinogenic to human’ while processed meat is
classified as ‘carcinogenic to humans”. For red meat, there is no
direct evidences to point out eating red meat will simulate people
to have cancer, but it will increase the risk of obesity and
overweight. Those diseases will increase the risk of having cancer. While processing meat
have enough evidence to conclude it is related to cancer, but the connection is very weak.
(Dietitians Association of Australia, 2015)
3.3 Morality
Some people who against
eating meat may think that
meat is not an essential
component of diet. There is
variety of food choices of food
choice in nowadays. People do
not need to eat meats for
survival. Many food choices
can be the complement of meats, such as legumes contain protein and spinaches contain zinc.
As a result, animals can prevent slaughtered. (Pojman,n.d,p.859) Eating meat is immoral and
not human, which causing animals suffer from pain. Most of the animals in farm are raise for
slaughter and serve as foods. They believe that all animals have right for stay alive. People who
eat meats are expropriating the right of animals. (BBC, 2014) Therefore, people should not eat
meats.
However, some people who support eating meat argue that the procedure of meat production is
not immoral. Animals have no moral status. They are only experience a physical hurts, and it is
not morally bad. (Hsiao, 2015,p.277) In addition, there is no other food choices can replace
meat food group. Meats food group contains large amount of protein, amino acid, fat and zinc.
As a result, people should consume meat. For preventing animal cruel, there are many
organizations and acts are regulating meat industry to provide animals welfare in Australian, for
example, Animals welfare act and MLA’s Animals Welfare Program. (Meat & Livestock
Australia, 2015)
3.4 Environmental Impact
Some people may misunderstand climate
change is related to the eating meat. They
believe that the gases emit by livestock are
majorly contribute to greenhouse effect. However,
it is not accurate. Eating meat will not simulate
climate change. Although neutral ecosystem
becomes industrialize through the development of agricultural industry, everything is still under
a food chain. The excessive amount of animals will ingest by the growing population. The
industry will also control the amount of production. The excessive animals will be killed if over
production. Moreover, there are many causes that can simulate global warming, such as air
pollution of fossil fuels. As a result, eating less meat will not improve the environment. (Penton
Media, 2010)
4. Cultural and Social Analysis
4.1 Ethical responsibility
The development of technology contributed the growth of
meat industry. Applicant biotechnology in meat industry,
such as freezing of semen, embryo transfer, in vitro
fertilization, gene transfer and cloning can maximized the
productivity and profit of meat industry. However, using
biotechnology induce many side-effect on animals and
ethical problems. In Denmark, using biotechnology in milk
yield has increased the productivity from around 2,000 kg
to 9,000 kg per cow in every year. However, many side
effects are following by it. Since the amount of cattle was increased rapidly, the capacity of milk
farm is not enough. At the same time, it is difficult to manage a huge amount of cattle. Therefore,
animals are easily got sick. Finally, it affects the calving performance. (Sandoe, Christiansen &
Gamborg, n.d) Similar situation has occurred in chicken industry. It discovered that one third
chicken are unable to walk normally due to excessive amount of production. (Sandoe,
Christiansen & Gamborg, n.d) According to peter singer, the ethicist, states that animal can feel
pains as we do. It is ridiculous to say that animals feel less pain than human. Some animals
may have a better sense than human. As a result, it is unfair and immoral for using
biotechnology in meat industry. We have the ethical responsibility for all animals. For the meat
industry, it is responsible for provide a good environments.
4.2 Meat and masculinity
Masculinity represents the gender role expectation of men,
which can be the behaviors and culture that associated with
being a man. People may associate the consumption of
meat to masculinity. (Colorado State University, 2015) Male
are more likely eating meat than female. Eating meat can
establish the image of masculinity. According to the book of
meat and masculinity among young Chinese, Turkish and Dutch adult in the Netherlands (2015)
illustrate that the strong relationship between meat and masculinity in Turkish as they have high
general inequality. However, there is weak association between meat and masculinity as they
have least differences on gender inequity. Moreover, it is difficult for people to transfer from
meat base diet to less meat diet under the society that combine with strong framing of
masculinity, western food culture and low meat retail prices. As a result, meat and masculinity is
associated.
4.3 Consumption Pattern
According to Australian Chicken Meat Federation (2015) report that the consumption of various
meat in Australia. Chicken meat is increasing from 20.6 kg per person in 1985 to 42.6 kg per
person in 2015, while the consumption of beef is decreasing from 45.3 kg per person in 1985 to
33.9 kg per person. Price is one of the possible factors that contribute people consume more
chicken meat than beef. The retail price of chicken is more stable and low, which is always
around $5 per kg in 1990 -2009, while the retail price of beef significant increase from $9.62 per
kg in 1990 to $16.14 per kg in 2009. The retail price of beef is increased in double in 1990-2009.
Apart from the economic factor, the nutrient value also contributes people to change their
eating pattern from beef to chicken. Beef is red meat while chicken is white meat. Although red
meat contains rich iron and zinc, there are many research find that high intake of red meat will
increase the risk of having cardiovascular diseases, cancer. (Baqhurst, K,2007, p.s140)
According to the research of professor Walter Willett investigates that the mortality rate ill
increase 13% if people consume about 3oz of processing red meat. Also, the mortality rate will
increase 20% if people consume similar amount of processed red meat. Moreover, red meat
consumption has higher opportunity to break down large amount of DNA double-stand by
compare with white meat consumption.
(Cocate,Natali,Oliveira, Alfenas,Peluzio, Longo,Santos, Buthers,Oliveira& Hermsdorff, 2013)
5. Analysis of the Artifact and learning reflections
Through their eyes is that video that reveal the procedure of meat processing. It reminds people
that the cost behind the dishes. Many animals have loosened their life and freedom. In addition,
meat processing stage is very cruel. Animals will be killed if they are not useful for industry or
fail in the selection stage. It evokes the attention of people to concerning about the edictal issue
of meat processing. Through their eyes is very special, because it put the audiences in first
person view to demonstrate the stage of meat processing. It lets audience to experience the
process directly rather using third person view to report the cruel behaviors within the industry.
Therefore, people can easily understand the feeling of animals.
Before doing this assignment, i only have the basic concept about meat industry and seldom to
consider the sources of foods. This assignment provides the opportunity for me to understand
the process of meat industry in Australia. All the meat products are under control and guarantee
safe. However, I realize that many animals have loss their life and freedom under the processes
of meat production, which induces the ethical problem. Besides, i have a better understand for
the nutrients value of meat products, which may apply in my daily life. Moreover, this
assignment has developed my critical thinking skill as I need to consider with different aspects.
6, Reference List
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00157
Reflection:
http://healthculturesociety2015.wikispaces.com/Hashtag+Likeagirl.+What+does+that+means+
to+you
http://healthculturesociety2015.wikispaces.com/%27Many+young+women+using+it+for+lose+
weight%27