Who Loves Veggie Sausages?

It's Green Your Grill week, so what's cooking?

Easy Green: Fill the grill with sustainable, humanely produced beef. Beef with the American Grassfed Association's certification is free of antibiotics and cows spend most of their lives in the pasture (as opposed to cramped Concentrated Feeding Operations). The Animal Welfare Approved label is exclusive to family farms where cows receive adequate pasture time; antibiotic use is limited to sick animals.

Uber Green: Meat is the traditional choice for summer grilling, but organic, locally grown fruits and veggies are by far the greenest option. Try a fruit kabob or a grilled portobello mushroom. Tasty imitation "meat" products are plentiful these days, so even if you're not completely vegan, like Oprah Winfrey was for 21 days, you might share her love of veggie sausages.

--D.W.

Sources:  Plenty, Ecorazzi, Sierra Club

Comments

[Sara, Norfolk, VA]

Wow...I'm a vegetarian anyway...but I didn't even know that an Animal Welfare Approved label on beef existed!

[Carol Harris]

I would just like to note that of the imitation meat products listed, only the Tofurky ones are made with organic soy. The thing about non-organic soy is that in addition to being grown with pesticides and herbicides, it is pretty certain to be genetically modified. If you want to be an unwitting guinea pig in that experiment, go ahead and buy those products. I am appalled by the way GM crops have been introduced without consultation or labeling and will not buy them. (BTW, even if the soy is organic, watch out for corn and canola -- they're also likely to be GM!)

[Mary Beth]

Does GM mean genetically modified? If so, how does one ascertain if "GM" has been utilized?

[florrie]

The animals may be treated a bit more humane but they are slaughtered and suffer greatly.......they are terrified and know stress and suffering.....does a stamp from an Association make one feel better??? Don't think so..!!