Penguin Books Australia

The Hillard-Nierstheimer family exemplifies the standard meat-and-potatoes diet: they shop at the local supermarket, occasionally eat fast food, and enjoy their meat, Coke and beer. The Masarech-Motavalli family is concerned about its health and generally buys fresh, locally grown vegetables. They call themselves caring carnivores they ll only eat meat from animals raised to humane standards. The Farb family is vegan: nothing they eat comes from an animal, and wherever possible they buy organic.

Peter Singer and Jim Mason take a standard meal enjoyed by each family and trace its ingredients back through the production process to see what ethical issues arise. From the disturbing methods used to produce factory farmed eggs, to revelations of the lack of policing of the term organic , to the lice found in the meat of farmed fish, the authors raise questions about people s everyday food choices and challenge us to think before we buy.