Mind what you eat

It does not matter how you start, as long as you make a start and keep going. You may have to give up a few pleasurable tastes for the sake of your conscience and alleviating suffering. But you will not starve and you may be surprised at how good the alternatives taste.

It's really up to each of us to confront this glaring and very important moral issue, for the sake of our moral health, the welfare of our fellow creatures and the health of our planet.

This is a difficult moral issue and one that is often painful to discuss, as anyone who has sat through an uncomfortable dinner conversation, where such issues are raised, will testify. So it is important to be tolerant and kind towards the people with whom we disagree. People should not be teased or ridiculed for making ethical food choices or condemned for failing to do so. We are all in this together.

Eating is one of the great pleasures in life. It is important that we can enjoy it to the full. That will depend increasingly on the choice of food we put on the plate. When we say "Bon appetite", we should remember the meaning of the word "bon" and make sure that we can say it with integrity.