009: Moving Towards a More Humane Food System with Josh Balk

Essential Ingredients Podcast

English - November 16, 2021 14:00 - 23 minutes - 19.2 MB - ★★★★★ - 127 ratings
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Previous Episode: 008: Creating a Future-Proof 100% Cocoa-Free Chocolate Alternative with Max and Sara Marquart

Next Episode: 010: Producing the Purest and Truest Manuka Honey with Jim McMillan

“The vast majority of animals who are raised in cages can barely move at the end of their life. They're in constant pain and constant suffering… Make an impact in the lives of so many animals to make their lives better!”

- Josh Balk

Episode Description:

Billions of factory farm animals suffer beyond the imaginable degree. Genetic modification, inhumane treatments, confinement, and other cruel ways are utilized to ensure high production at the lowest cost. Because of the high demand, these animals are often killed in large numbers in a very short time. A few months after they're born, they are already on their way to the slaughter house while their meat is tender. They are forced to forget their animal instincts as they only learned how painful it is to be born. They never see the sun nor how beautiful the world is.

This is the reality of our world today. Profit comes before welfare. Animals are treated as commodities, as objects exploited by a greedy system. In this episode, we will uncover how grim this practice is for the animals, humans, and the environment. Josh Balk, co-founder of Eat JUST, Inc., relates his undercover assignments inside farm factories and how the industry contributes to the disturbing state we are in. As a passionate advocate for animal welfare, Josh also talks about what’s currently being done to address this problem. Our goal should be to have tangible progress for the animals. Like us, they deserve to enjoy their lives. As stewards of the earth, we hold the biggest responsibility to make this world a better place for the animals under our care. Tune in to learn how you can be a part of moving towards a more humane food system.

Connect with Josh:

Josh Balk is the Vice President of Animal Welfare at the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Farm Animals Division. He has led efforts to enact animal welfare policies with many of the world’s largest companies, including Walmart, Wendy’s, Kroger, Denny’s and dozens more. These policies have helped shift the food industry’s reliance on veal crates, gestation crates, battery cages and cruel methods of raising chickens in the meat industry. He's also been a leader in creating and supporting start-up animal-friendly companies, including co-founding JUST, and guiding investment firms and high net worth individuals to invest in this space. Balk also led discussions with the largest food service companies in creating the world’s first partnerships on shifting their focus to plant-based foods. On legislative priorities, he was a leader on successful campaigns passing laws for farm animals, including in California, Massachusetts, and Maine.

Prior to coming to The HSUS, Balk worked at Compassion Over Killing (COK) where he conducted investigations into factory farms and slaughterhouses, and launched one of our nation’s first advertising campaigns on farm animals. Balk’s work has been covered by the Associated Press, Fortune, CNN, New York Times, Washington Post and dozens of other outlets. He was inducted into the Animal Rights Hall of Fame in 2015.

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