ABSTRACT
Challenging the abuses of factory farming will require diverse approaches, including efforts to raise awareness as well as to transform social and economic infrastructures. Large quantities of meat, dairy and eggs are commonly consumed in affluent societies, which has led to an industrialized agricultural system that causes enormous animal suffering, environmental destruction, and human health risks. For decades, efforts to mitigate the harm of factory farming have sought to appeal to people’s conscience, but these have had limited success. Intensive animal agriculture is entrenched within social, economic and political institutions, which must be reformed. Entrepreneurs are now a growing influence in reshaping our food industry, toward plant-based agriculture. Vegan alternatives are gaining in popularity and becoming widely available, and mission-driven companies have been founded with the goal of replacing animal products with plant-based alternatives. Some of these ventures are attracting significant capital, including from agribusiness giants. Investments in these businesses coupled with technological advances, infrastructure reforms, and redirected government programs can make plant foods more widely accessible and ubiquitous in the marketplace, which is critically important to ending factory farming.
