Meatopia: “Woodstock of Edible Animals”...Presented by Whole Foods?

Amstel Light Meatopia, presented by Whole Foods, is a celebration of meat, thus the event's website shows photos of people enjoying it. What people choose to eat is a personal choice, though most would agree that consuming meat is not necessarily healthy and is harsh on the environment. That's why it seems odd that Whole Foods is behind this event, especially with Amstel Light involved.

To the dismay of many plant-based shoppers, Whole Foods is not a vegetarian market, but is known for selling healthy (yet relatively expensive) food - check out the Values section of their site. One can find a good selection of local and organic foods, bulk items, fresh produce, and a variety of healthy speciality products. It's a sure bet that vegans can find a diverse selection of things to eat there, so most of them are willing to turn a blind eye away from the meat, fish, and dairy sections. Whole Foods also promotes veganism on a regular basis - they highlight plant-based foods, promote books like Engine 2 Diet and films like Forks Over Knives, and their CEO is even vegan. Some believe that veganism is Whole Foods' hidden agenda, but that's hard to believe after their blatant support of Meatopia.

Aside from the vegan issue, it's odd that Whole Foods would get behind an event that doesn't have much to do with health. There's no mention of the word on the website - the event seems to be all about indulging for sake of taste and not caring about what's in the food. For example, the site shows lots of pictures of heavily grilled meat, which is known to be carcinogenic. The only aspect that seems in line with Whole Foods' mission is that some of the meat comes from small farms local to the area (NY), which is more environmentally-friendly, perhaps healthier, and somewhat less-cruel than factory farms. 

One can only hope that Whole Foods is involved with the event because they want an opportunity to teach meat-eaters how to be healthier. Maybe they'll have signs up about organic, hormone-free, free-range, local meat. Maybe they'll present plant-based options as sides and encourage people to eat less meat. But there seems to be no sign of that agenda on the site, so it doesn't look hopefull...

What are your thoughts? If you're a vegetarian or vegan, do you feel disappointed in Whole Foods? How do you feel about this from a health stand point?

Whitney Lauritsen is a journalist, environmentalist, and vegan who promotes healthy living on her site www.ecovegangal.com. She shares tips on how to be kind to your body and the earth via video, photography, and writing. You can find her talking about being healthy and green on Twitter and Facebook.