Although I haven't had a chance yet to read the book, the message I received from watching the show was know where your food comes from. If your choose to eat meat be sure the chickens are free range, the cattle are raised by farmers who care and treat them humanely. I didn't hear I should be vegan or vegetarian, just compassionate and aware, demanding the humane treatment of farm animals. They are after all living creatures not a product.

Hi Ellen, I was so disappointed by your guest and his book. My husband (third generation beef rancher)and I find these comments are hard to hear. As the Beef Industry has been struggling for some time. These comments form opinions that for the most part are not true and give all beef producers a bad name. We take pride in the quality of our product. The beef are raised with utmost care. This is our living. We also take great care in producing the most natural product possible. They are out on range from May to end of October, and are moved around by cowboys on horseback. For the winter they are fed hay that we put up ourselves, on the fields we raised their hay on. Beef Ranchers in our area all do basically the same. Thought you would like to know this.Thank you.

Janet Hunter

After watching Food Inc. I became completely vegetarian in the last few months. It is not as hard as I thought it would be. I am working on giving up the milk products and eggs but that is a tough one for me. I read Foer's book and I literally cried. What people are doing is outrageous and something needs to change. I wish I could help in some other way but I don't know where to start. I just cant understand how a lot of people just don't care about the crap (literally speaking) they are putting into their bodies. Sometimes I believe people are so greedy and don't appreciate life (theirs or the animals)

Ellen,

Huge applause for featuring Jonathan Safran Foer on your show! It's time that network TV reveals the ugly truth behind our supermarket shelves. The meat industry relies on enormous animal suffering and environmental damage.

Want to prevent animal cruelty, save the environment AND lose weight? There's a simple solution: GO VEGETARIAN.

I love it how everyone comes here and says... "this guy doesn't know anything"... and don't post ANY STATISTICS OR SOURCES!?!?!?

Guess what? The author DOES POST statistics and sources for his claims... he's not taking them out of a hat! To all that say... "I know where my meat comes from and they're treated so nicely..." then let me ask you:

a. Are the cows castrated? I bet they are since it's a standard practice. I also bet they do it without anesthesia, since NO ONE does it without anesthesia. Guess what? That is NOT NICE. Would you like to be castrated with anesthesia?

b. Were the cows branded with a hot iron? That's also standard practice... again.. would you like me to brand your skin with a hot iron? I... don't think so!

c. There's a farmer here that posts... "we don't let them out because we don't want to... we just can't afford to..." kind of thing.
I don't think the author thinks farmers are "evil" and mistreat animals on purpose. But I am sorry but would you like to be raised in a barn with no access to the outdoors? Would you like not being able to walk, explore, excercise (which btw are natural behaviors of cows?). I know I wouldn't like it and I don't think we have the right to do that to animals.
We should all slow down, consume less, and then demand the farming industry ends those practices that are simply disrespectful of animal rights.

You know when people wanted to end slavery, lots of people against it were against it because they couldn't "afford" to pay the slaves and have regular labor.

I was very upset my what Jonathan Safran Foer had to say about his book and the world of farming. I am a VERY proud farmer and if I was someone that was uninformed then his information could lead me to make incorrect judgements. It is true that there are places that do treat their animals like he decribed, but that is not the majority. He very briefly mentioned that it wasn't always the case and if you found a place that you knew was good then it was okay to eat from there but I feel that should have been emphasied GREATLY. On my family's farm we take great pride in the way that our animals are treated. We hire our employees after much consideration and many times work extra hours because we can't find anyone that fits our requirements. Our cows are raised from birth and they are babied from day one. I showed cows when I was in middle school and I loved my cow, Mico, so much that she was in my senior picture with me. That is the image of farms that I grew up with and that is the REALITY of farms in most places. I know that our cows don't get to go outside but not because we don't want them to. Milk prices are horrible right now and we don't have the money to build the fencing and finish building our barn so that they are more comfortable. Just becuase he wrote a book doesn't mean he knows what he is talking about and he most certainly doesn't know what is really going on in the farming industry. Research for yourself before making any decisions.

Ellen: I was absolutely thrilled to hear Mr. Foer discuss topics including the environmental impact of factory farming, the 'protein myth', and a turkey-less thanksgiving, on network television no less! This sort of knowledge has been in circulation for some time now, but I thought it would be many years before it would be disseminated to the general public, yet it happened last week on your own talk show no less! I commend your courage and audacity for featuring Mr. Foer as a guest and allowing him to speak his mind.

Sincerely,
Bryne

Hey Ellen,
I wanted to let you know how wonderful I think it is you've provided the public with this incredibly important persepctive and commend you on your bravery at doing this against the 'status quo'. Our food system has become incredibly dangerous and precarious, it's about time more people in the public eye exposed this (if even for only a few minutes)! If any viewers have more questions or are curious about the 'health concerns' of a vegan diet, I highly suggest Tje China Study by T. Colin Cambell Ph.D...an incredibly enlightening read.

The world public has been lied to, it's time to wake up and save our own lives, and the planet.
Thank you again, you've done a service
Lily

ellen
i was totally digusted that you allowed a person on your show to spew CRAP. he certainly doesn't have his facts or intentionally thew out lies/deceptions.
i get totally pissed off every time i hear you donating to H$U$. do you not understand what their real goals are? do you want to continue to have your pets? do you realize H$U$ only donates 4% of the money they bring in and that it's a political machine to deny animal lovers the right to own/raise and breed? and don't go into the shelters are overcrowded. we're bringing in animals from china/japan to sell in our shelters. H$U$ brings in that money via emotional outcries and not by facts. ask pacelle how many dogs he's killed. ask him how much research H$U$ does....none, via pacelle's own admission.
how dare you ellen, the one that says she cares about animals. you've associated yourself with the killing machine. H$U$ and you don't even know it? or do you? do your research--talk to some AW people, read some of the laws that H$U$ has backed, use your head.
if your show continues in this vein of spewing the vegan way of life and supporting H$U$, i will NOT be watching you anymore and i'll ask others not to watch you either.

I started writing this comment just after your show was aired. However I became so irrate that I had to erase what I wrote and take a walk. Ellen, please tell me how you could let such an uninformed single minded guest on your show. I'm glad to see the other posts that will hopefully inform Mr. Safran on the facts of farming. I am a restauranteur who uses local farmers for most of my menu. If you would like to know where our steak, chicken, or even our carrots came from I will tell you. In fact one of the farmers may be eating at the table next to you! There are alot of restaurants like us out there, using local naturally raised produce and meats. Maybe Mr.Safran just needs to eat at Taco Bell and McDonalds a little less and start eating at real restaurants and REAL food. Here's a start....KNOW YOUR FOOD, KNOW YOUR FARMER!

Oh, and if you think not eating meat will change the world why not look at the rest of your life and see the waste that we were taught to make!
'the story of stuff' will make you rethink what's important. Less meat or less stuff!?!