………”as you peel back the marketing, you see cage-free is not all it’s cracked up to be”:  http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_580a5aefe4b0b1bd89fdb1d0?ncid=engmodushpmg00000004

As meat buyer for a brief period of time, I was able to see many practices in farming up close and behind doors. 

Fortunately this wasn’t one of them. But in understanding the culture of chickens, I am not surprised.  
Imagine, if you could, the chaos that would ensue in an over crowded classroom of grade two’s. 

Same applies to those that choose organic pork and beef. The animal may be fed the very best, yet grows up (spends it entire life) tethered in a stall that it cannot even turn around, let alone lay down. 

But it’s organic. 
It’s easy to understand why people choose to go vegan. The challenge to identify purchasing priorities is great. Sometimes it’s better to just throw your hands up and walk away from meat. 
I believe moderation in everything. Often I think back to the stories told by my Dad about “the old country”. Our generations before us didn’t, DID NOT, consume meat everyday. There was great respect for every single inch of the animal -as I remember the skill I learned from my Dad in learning how to enjoy the meat tucked in a turkey neck; or gnawing away, like a dog, on a t bone steak or park chop bone that was perfectly cooked and seasoned. 
An animal would be butchered maybe once a week, quite different from today where burgers are consumed daily for some. 
A practice we encourage and support in (soon to be released lifestyle program) Koolaid To Kale is Meatless Monday   
If going vegan is something your considering, take a baby step. This week, as you plan and shop for your weekly meals (Sunday SetUp) go meatless on Monday.