| Statistics on Turkey Production you Should Know |
| Monday, 16 November 2009 16:20 | |||
 Everywhere, USA, November 2009 – As we approach Thanksgiving, here’s some statistical food for thought regarding turkey consumption in the United States that you should know.
The National Turkey Federation tells us the following: In 2008, more than 273 million turkeys were raised. More than 232 million were consumed in the United States. We estimate that 46 million of those turkeys were eaten at Thanksgiving, 22 million at Christmas and 19 million at Easter. Nearly 88 percent of Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Federation eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds, meaning that approximately 690 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the United States during Thanksgiving week in 2008. In 2005, the USDA issued a press release stating that the average turkey weight in the U.S. had increased by 4% a year since 1965. In 1965, turkeys averaged 18 pounds; in 2005, they averaged 28.2 pounds. A total increase of 67%. To give you some perspective, United Poultry Concerns has statistically correlated that "if a 7-pound human baby grew as fast as baby turkeys are forced to grow, the human baby would weight 1500 pounds at 18 weeks old." The turkey industry acknowledges the obvious pain this causes. Feedstuffs, an industry publication, says turkeys raised for food “have problems standing, and fall and are trampled on or seek refuge under feeders.” Those who have participated in turkey rescues have reported seeing this kind of thing first hand – birds collapsing under their own weight, and visibly sick, usually from congestive heart failure, lung disease, and other ailments associated with industrialized engorgement. These concerns, plus the trimming of beaks without anesthesia, cramming the birds together to fill space, and killing them by shackling them upside down, as they are paralyzed by electrified water and dragged over mechanical throat-cutting blades, all while conscious, have created the outcry. Want to do something? Believe it or not, there is good news to report. If you enjoy the taste and experience of eating turkey at Thanksgiving, there are amazing vegetarian alternatives out there, such as Tofurky's Vegetarian Feast or Quorn's Turk'y Roast that will amaze you in taste and texture. ("How do they do it??" you'll ask yourself. "It tastes like turkey!") (And it does. Ed.) In addition, you can also Google “vegetarian thanksgiving recipes” for a wide array of additional options. (We’re passing on this information in support of our friends at Soy Happy and at Turtle Island Foods, the makers of Tofurky.) SOURCE: Soy Happy
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