If I had to sum up Ed Winter’s book “Vegan Propaganda and other lies that the meat industry is telling us”, I would describe it as an eloquent explanation of everything that is wrong with our food system. Ed Winter’s, or Earthling Ed as he is otherwise known, exposes the animal agriculture industry as an entity that is not only evil but calculated too.
Ed takes the reader through a journey of uncovering the truth and challenging the beliefs that are so deeply engrained in our minds that they have become societal norms. Is it normal to breed animals for a life of suffering ending in a violent and needless death for a meal, a moment of sensory pleasure? Ed asks his reader to reflect on such questions. This reflection can at times be deeply disturbing as you are forced to analyse your own diet choices, whether that be the meat, eggs or dairy that you ate the day that you picked up Ed’s book, or that which you ate many years ago. The latter is true for me. I’ve been vegan for over four years now and vegetarian since the age of six, a decision I made after discovering the gruesome answer to my innocent “Mum, what’s a sausage made of?”
Winters describes the atrocities of animal agriculture in such a detailed and vivid way that the thought of even one animal experiencing that suffering for the chicken nuggets I ate as a child, or the dairy products I continued to consume until my university years became a source of guilt and sadness. Despite this, I pushed through and I recommend this book as an absolute must read.
Vegans, this book is packed full of the answers and statistics that you need when debating your diet choice with family and friends: this book will become your Bible. Vegetarians, this book will be that last push towards veganism that you’re looking for, and meat eaters, well, be prepared to look into the mirror that is Vegan Propaganda. I urge you to read this book no matter your diet, as in my opinion it is perhaps one of the most important books I have ever picked up. Food is fundamental to us all and so it's absolutely crucial that we understand where it comes from.