Is there a middle way between vegan and vegetarian?

We have recently adopted a vegan diet. From my perspective organizing my lifestyle around veganism, is first motivated by health concerns, ecology and thirdly ethical treatment of animals.

This is not to say that any of these have a larger influence over the other.  My personal journey evolved to fish only at first, then vegetarianism, and now veganism.

Ethically I would most likely indulge in cheese and eggs if I could be assured they were produced in a cruelty-free environment.  (Turns out I prefer soy milk.)  I couldn't object to paying more for these products if the higher price was driven by non-factory approaches to production.

But I distrust the label "free range" when purchasing eggs.  My Uncle kept an old fashioned farm, and I collected the eggs every day - often at the cost of a painful peck or two.

The photographs I have seen of "free range" chicken farms look like warehouses where the birds are packed shoulder to shoulder.  Only humans should be subjected to that treatment, and only then in New York City.

Does PETA have a list or designation for dairy and egg products produced in a humane environment?  My health interests would still limit my consumption, and the ecological impact of even large scale non-factory farming would need some serious consideration.

One problem that comes to mind is the result that PETA friendly animal husbandry would tend to favor the affluent at the market.  This may mean that the basic assumption favors animals over humans.  But, that's a different discussion isn't it?

Photo: Greencolander

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