About the Book
This groundbreaking volume uncovers and critiques how animal agriculture's new alternative marketing and labelingis lullingconsumersinto a false sense ofindustryimprovement.Humanewashingand greenwashing isbecoming more prevalent and pervasive than ever.
As consumers become increasingly aware of the animal agriculture industry's cruelty and environmental devastation, clever industry marketers are adapting with alternative "humane" and "sustainable" labeling and marketing campaigns.The term "humane hoax" is defined as new language and labels in animal product marketing that convey a false narrative of humane treatment and sustainable management of farmed animal operations."Cage-free," "certified humane," and other comforting labels are no longer elusive, dusty items only seen in the back corners of health food stores. They are now as numerous as cows on a feedlot, spotted in common places like discount markets and your local coffee shop. Industry humane washing and greenwashing create reassuring language and euphemistic labels that tell a story of a supposed distinction from conventional animal products. But the reality on the ground, in the manure pits, during the mechanical milking, and inside the terrifying slaughterhouses is fundamentally unchanged, despite promises of something "new" and "improved." In the absence of accurate information, it has never been more important to educateconsumerson the realities behind the industry lies, and people are hungry for the truth.
The Humane Hoax features a range of engaging and thought-provoking essays from eighteen notable experts who are at the forefront of this marketing and societal shift, chronicling every aspect with in-depth analyses and intellectual rigor. Among other timely topics, we will explore how the humane hoax intersects with feminism and environmentalism, how it is represented in the media, and the affects it has on human and non-human communities alike. The Humane Hoax will leave the reader questioning everything that they have been conditioned to believe as consumers.
About the Author :
Hope Bohanec has been active in animal protection and environmental activism for thirty years and has published the book The Ultimate Betrayal: Is There Happy Meat? She is the executive director of Compassionate Living and the host of the Hope for the Animals podcast. Hope co-founded the Humane Hoax Project, the Ahimsa Living Project, and has organized numerous online and in-person events, including the Humane Hoax Online Conference, the Humane Hoax Chicken Webinar, and the Sonoma County VegFest. Over the last three decades, Hope has worked for the national non-profits United Poultry Concerns and In Defense of Animals and has contributed chapters to two anthologies.
Review :
"Amidst the marketing claims of 'happy' and 'humane, ' this anthology provides the truth that sets free consumers who want to live ethically and eat honestly. Concurrently, it seeks to set free those animals trapped in the agricultural system, of which 'small, ' 'family' and 'organic' farms are all a part"
--Victoria Moran, author of Main Street Vegan and host of The Victoria Moran Podcast "The Humane Hoax shines an important and necessary bright light on the many myths and marketing lies surrounding animal agriculture. Violence, exploitation, commodification, and killing sentient beings to satisfy our desires can never be made ethical by adding the word 'humane' to it. Humane animal farming is, and always will be, an oxymoron."
--Charles Horn, Ph.D., author of Meat Logic: Why Do We Eat Animals?
"Animal advocacy is working--more dairy, egg, and meat producers tout 'humanely raised' or 'carbon-friendly' than ever before. Yet The Humane Hoax reveals that these glitzy, hollow labels hide the real and significant harms that animal agriculture continues to wreak. This anthology is a necessary, complete rejoinder to the recent locavore, femivore, and meat apologist movements. The Humane Hoax's highly-educated authors show us in entertaining, diverse ways--supported with thorough research and approachable explanation--that a path to a better world cannot include animal agriculture."
--Karthik Sekar, author of After Meat
"Hope Bohanec, and her brilliant team of essayists, expose the meat industry's cynical greenwashing and mislabeling for what it is: Orwellian double-speak. Read this book, learn the truth, and take the power back with your food choices."
--Jane Velez-Mitchell, TV Journalist, NYTimes bestselling author, UnchainedTV founder
"This book expresses a fiercely compassionate worldview. It refuses to shy away from suffering--and inspires us to do something. Often, food labels and ads mislead consumers and don't tell the whole truth. The Humane Hoax will open your mind."
--Alene Anello, Legal Impact for Chickens
"This collection of thought-provoking essays from a wide variety of voices exposes a truth that the animal agriculture industry works hard to conceal. The Humane Hoax is a wake-up call to every consumer who believes that labels such as 'cage-free, ' 'pasture-raised, ' or 'responsibly sourced' are anything but a marketing ploy."
--Mark Hawthorne, author of Bleating Hearts: The Hidden World of Animal Suffering "What would the world look like if we were all willing to live a life of empathy based on the truth? Witnessing the truth through this book is so powerful. I want to get a copy into the hands of every human on earth. A perfect eye-opening, heart-opening look at the reality of the myths behind humanewashing labels. A true wake-up call."
--Rae Sikora, Co-founder Institute for Humane Education, Vegfund and Plant Peace Daily
"The Humane Hoax makes clear the depravity of the myth of 'humanely raised' animal foods. The claim to being in any way 'humane' is simply false; the claim to being more healthful is a lie; the cost to the environment is often even worse than from conventional animal farming; and there is the added insult of duplicity."
--Glen Merzer, author of Food Is Climate and Own Your Health
"Lies poison everything. Humane hype not only injures animals by hiding the harms they suffer but also hurts people by tricking them into betraying their own ethical commitments. Coming at the problem from every angle, the diverse contributors to this essential volume not only expose the lies but also explain why they have been so persuasive. Read this book to make sure you haven't been hoodwinked and to learn what you need to know to refute the fictions that coax so many people who care about animals into literally buying into cruelty."
--pattrice Jones, author of Oxen at the Intersection and founder of VINE Sanctuary
