Last week, the state of Iowa passed a bill aimed at restricting undercover investigations that bring to light the realities of factory farming

Iowa is the first in the country to pass an 'ag-gag' bill. This bill penalizes workers who work on farms under false pretenses. This bill will make it more difficult for animal protection organizations to let the public know about how animals are raised for food.

Undercover investigations have been crucial in bringing to light the horrific conditions that pigs, cows, chickens, and other farm animals are subjected to. For more details about why the legislation is a bad idea, please read the Star Tribune opinions piece by Compassionate Action for Animals volunteer Jeff Johnson.

Please watch Mercy for Animals' new video that shows what the industry is attempting to hide. Please also consider choosing plant-based foods.

Warm up a winter evening with root vegetable chili!

Our February 25 3rd Annual Vegan Chili Cook-Off is upon us. What better way to prepare for the event than by making and enjoying your own chili? Be sure to check out the rest of our recipes as well.

Ingredients

Isa says, "this recipe calls for 2 pounds of root veggies, so use whichever are available to you. Some of my faves are rutabaga or turnip (they taste similar, so I wouldn't suggest both,) celeriac, golden beats, or parsnip".

• 2 pounds root vegetables, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced medium
• 1 red pepper, diced medium
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon mild chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 cup green lentils, washed
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons agave or maple syrup
• Cilantro and lime for garnish (optional)

Directions

• Preheat a 4 quart soup pot over medium high heat.
• Saute onions and bell pepper in oil until translucent, about 4 minutes.
• Add garlic and saute for another minute.
• Add chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, salt and cinnamon.
• Add 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth and the cocoa powder; cook for about 1 more minute, while stirring, to dissolve the cocoa.
• Add lentils, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes and root veggies.
• Cover pot and bring to a boil, keeping a close eye. Once it's boiling, lower heat to a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes, until lentils are tender and root veggies is soft.
• Mix in agave.
• Add water as necessary to thin out the chili.
• Taste for salt and seasoning.
• Let sit for 10 minutes or so for maximum flavor.
• Serve garnished with cilantrom, scallions and lime if you like. You can also dollop on a little vegan yogurt or soy cream.

Thanks to Isa for sharing this recipe and the accompanying photo with Compassionate Action for Animals.

Since the founding of CAA, we have encouraged consumers to make better dietary choices. I was talking to a sympathizer with our cause, and she asked how consumer education reduces animal suffering and death. I explained that we educate consumers about factory farming and vegetarianism. I told her that if everybody became vegan, there would be no animal agriculture. She told me that would never happen.

I don't concern myself much about whether or not the world will ever become vegan — it's not a question that I think sheds light on how best to advocate for animals today — but was still a bit startled by her question. Looking back on the conversation, I realized I left many gaps in explaining the thinking behind our work and strategy.

There are many ways to create change: we can lobby for better laws for animals at the local state, or national level, we can try to influence the behavior of businesses or corporations, we can conduct social, psychological, political, or philosophical research into the causes and ways to prevent animal cruelty, we can file lawsuits to prevent animal exploitation, we can start animal-friendly businesses, or we can start a pro-animal publication.

All of these methods can be effective, and we work with allies that do a number of these things. I have personally been involved in using many of these methods, and I am likely to use these methods in the future. But here are the primary reasons we have focused on changing consumer behavior:

1. The change we get when we consume fewer animal products, become vegetarian, or become vegan is immediate. Because of the change in our consumption habits, fewer animals are confined in factory farms, and fewer are killed. In my other organizing work outside of animal advocacy, I've worked with activists to pass legislation. Sometimes we were successful in getting the changes we wanted, and sometimes we weren't. When we weren't, the process of advocating for change usually resulted in being better trained, having more resources, and more likely to pass the legislation the next time. But we didn't effect any substantive social change as a direct result of our work — which often consumed hundreds of hours and a lot energy. When we change our eating habits, we are empowered by the immediate impact of our choices.

2. Relatedly, the process of changing our consumption patterns is not about a theoretical vegetarian world, it's about living our values today. We derive a satisfaction that we've become closer to the kind of people we want to be on a day-to-day basis. Our changing eating habits entail changed patterns in grocery shopping, eating at restaurants, and cooking for our families. We change how we celebrate holidays and birthdays, how we mark religious occasions, weddings and funerals. All of these changes emphasize our new values and beliefs today, regardless of any changes that may or may not happen in the future.

3. Changing our consumption habits is accessible. It takes no special knowledge, skills, or resources to change our eating habits. In contrast, making change by influencing a corporation requires understanding how the corporation works and makes decision, who has the power in the corporation to make the changes we want, and an ability to persuade the decision-makers. In contrast, we can simply choose to patronize different restaurants and buy different food at the grocery store to change our eating habits and help animals.

4. Finally, focusing on consumer change empowers us to understand that the world operates as it does — and allows for current cruelties to continue — because we let it. It's not the powerful institutions of agribusiness, corporations, or governments that perpetuate animal cruelty, it's us: we decide, every time we eat, the fate of the animals. It can be overwhelming to realize their fate rests with us, but we must also acknowledge our power.

Focusing our efforts on consumer education is an accessible and effective way to further social change. I've been fortunate to hear numerous stories of people eating fewer animals as a result of our work. Our strategy will help our movement grow and create the success we are looking for.

A recent column in the New York Times by cookbook author and foodie Mark Bittman was extremely encouraging to advocates of a diet that that supports justice and respect for animals in our world.

The column points out that despite the average climb in meat consumption over the last half century (the average American eats a half a pound per day), in the last several years that number has actually been decreasing. The department of agriculture projects that meat and poultry consumption will fall again this year, reaching over 12 percent less than in 2007. While beef consumption has been falling for the past 20 years, only in the last five years have chicken and pork consumption also joined in the decline.

Experts attribute this decline to many factors, including increasing prices due to export markets, increase in feed prices due to ethanol production, and drought.

However, the most impressive factor Bittman points out is that "we're eating less meat because we want