Eating meat is such an everyday thing for most people that discussions about on animal protection are pretty rare or almost nonexisten. A lot of farmed animals are raised inhumanely and treated not as living things but as mere commodities. In this episode, Corinna Bellizzi chats with AJ Albrecht, Managing Director of Mercy for Animals, an organization that aims to end industrial animal agriculture by constructing a sustainable food system. She talks about the dangers of factory farming to animals, the need for more organic food choices, and the benefits of adopting a plant-based diet. AJ also shares their efforts to pass a bill that shifts the responsibility of the broken food system from everyday consumers to major corporations profiting from factory farming.

About Guest:

AJ Albrecht is the Managing Director of Mercy For Animals in the United States and Canada. She joined Mercy For Animals in 2019 as the organization’s first U.S. government affairs team member, where she built and led the government affairs and public policy team for three years before stepping into her current role. A licensed attorney, AJ is the immediate past chair of the American Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee, a past chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee, and the founder of the East Orange Animal Alliance. AJ is a frequent speaker on animal advocacy issues and has published on topics relating to our food system, farmed animals, and animal law.

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreajoyalbrecht/

Guest Website: https://mercyforanimals.org

Guest Social: https://www.instagram.com/mercyforanimals/, https://www.facebook.com/mercyforanimals, https://twitter.com/mercyforanimals, https://www.pinterest.com/mercyforanimals/, https://www.youtube.com/mercyforanimals

Show Notes:

00:00 - Introduction

06:30 - Impact of industrial farming

08:33 - Adopting a plant-based diet

13:02 - Bird flu epidemic and water crisis

22:56 - Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act

26:56 - Incrementalism and improving food choices

33:13 - Searching for better food options

40:44 - Transfarmation

43:13 - Impossible burgers

46:45 - Is animal protection a worthy cause?

52:08 - Closing Words

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