‘Meat Me Halfway’: New Documentary Promotes Reducetarianism
The documentary seeks to find some common ground at the dinner table while guiding people to eat fewer animal products for the sake of animals, the planet, and our health.
A new documentary encouraging people to eat less meat has hit the screens this week, joining a growing list of films that are urging us to fight for animals, the environment, and our own health by changing what’s on our plates.
‘Meat Me Halfway’ sees Brian Kateman of the non-profit organisation the Reducetarian Foundation team up with Riverdale actress Madelaine Petsch to explore why it’s so difficult for people to eat less animal products when factory farming is threatening the very survival of the planet. The film also features prominent vegan advocates including Gene Baur, Eric Adams, and Anita Krajnc.
“I co-directed ‘‘Meat Me Halfway’ alongside Journey Wade-Hak with a single question in mind: why is it so difficult to get people to eat less meat? Despite all the known issues factory farming has on the environment, human health, and animal welfare, we as a society are eating more meat than ever before in recorded history,” Kateman said. “In 2020, according to the USDA, Americans on average ate 225 pounds per person. I set out to learn what caused this carnivore craze: Was it culture? Our biology? Marketing? Or something else?”
With this new documentary, Kateman also hopes to provide a ‘middle ground’ for those who want to contribute to a more sustainable and compassionate world, but aren’t ready to make the full switch to veganism yet. ‘Reducetarianism’, as this is known, is the practice of eating less meat - red meat, poultry, and seafood - as well as less dairy and fewer eggs. According to the Reducetarian Foundation, this diet may empower some individuals to reduce their consumption of animal products to zero, while others may simply eat less of them.
Kateman guides the audience through his own journey of reducing animal products, featuring conversations with activists, avid meat-eaters, representatives from several plant-based food giants such as Clara Foods, Eat Just, Beyond Meat, and Miyoko’s Creamery, all the while highlighting the destructive nature of animal agriculture.
“At its core, I was inspired to make this film because I wanted to offer an alternative vision for conversations around meat consumption, to show that the vegan-omnivore divide is a false one because meat consumption isn’t an all-or-nothing premise,” he continued. “I hope that the film will inspire a generation of individuals to cut back on animal products in order to create a more compassionate, healthy, and sustainable world.”
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The footage was reportedly recorded at Marshall BioResources in North Rose, New York, where up to 22,000 dogs - mostly beagles - are being bred for animal experimentation.