The pandemic has emphasized not only the dangers in the spread of zoonotic viruses but also the weaknesses in the global food supply chain. In the current food system, meat products are increasingly more consumed and are paralleled with deteriorating environmental issues. The disassociation between eating meat and knowingly consuming animals is perpetuated through the marketing and packaging of meat in a way that makes the consumer not think so much of its origin. Labeling the meat as ‘fillet’ and ‘steak’ further removes it from its animal source. If meat consumption along with agricultural practices becomes more sustainable, the meat sector can provide some relief to the environment.
Due to COVID-19, Zoonosis has been discussed more in the news and media making the public aware that the origin of this infectious virus was from an animal source. The term ‘zoonotic disease’ likely would have been unfamiliar to me had it not been for an immunology course I took in college. Because of human interactions with an infected animal, this coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was able to jump from animal to human, and spread across the globe.
People are questioning and investigating things more due to the change this pandemic has caused. Could the familiarity of zoonotic diseases and their association between animals and humans impact the meat industry? The pandemic origins have been linked to a wet market in Wuhan, which sold many exotic animals. These markets are being criticized and could lead to restrictions and implementation of rules, which could lead to the creation of food aversions.
In addition to wet markets, factory farming is also a source for the spread of infectious diseases. Factory farm-raised animal production often utilizes antibiotics to limit disease in and encourage growth of the animals which leads to an increase in antibiotic resistant infectious organisms. During the pandemic, many meatpacking warehouses have been forced to temporarily shut down because of the rapid spread of COVID-19 among employees in the factory. Will consumers demand clarity about meat production and the treatment of workers? The SARS and swine flu zoonotic outbreaks led to a temporary reduction in meat consumption globally, so it will be interesting to see the impacts on the industry moving forward. Decreasing meat consumption will not only display an improvement to public health, but it can also aid the environment.
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