Media Release
Mangaluru, Jun 4: The Karnataka Poultry Farmers and Breeders Association (KPFBA) president, Dr Sushanth Rai B took objection to the advertisement released by PETA India which compared India’s meat market to China’s ‘wet market’, stating that the two are not comparable. The ‘wet market’ in Wuhan sold live and slaughtered species of snakes, baby crocodiles, bats, beavers and other wild animals. In India, it is not the case where it is mostly poultry meat, sheep and fish.
KPFBA agrees that a lot needs to be done on the safety and hygienic protocols in the Indian poultry and meat market which largely fall into the purview of local bodies and further states that a large number of modern and hygienic outlets are coming up in cities and this will be the trend going into the future. However, attributing the probable spread of deadly viruses such as COVID-19 to the meat market in India, PETA India is spreading false information. KPFBA is taking up the matter with the Advertising Council of India on PETA India’s misleading ad campaign.
The advertisement further co-relates cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity to eating non-vegetarian food which KPFBA emphatically states has no basis, whatsoever. PETA India advertisement makes a case that if one follows a vegetarian diet, they will be free from cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity and this KPFBA states is not at all true.
The KPFBA president cited several scientific and research papers that have endorsed that eating a non-vegetarian diet is a healthier option. The MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas recommends eating no more than 18 ounces of cooked meat per week. And when choosing protein, it suggests from plant and animal sources such as beans, legumes and soy; fish; chicken; turkey; low-fat dairy foods and eggs. And human beings have been eating chicken, eggs and meat from time immemorial. Meat is a major source of quality protein and other vital nutrients that vegetarian foods may not adequately provide.
Dr Sushanth Rai pointed out to the dietary guidelines for Indians issued by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad. The institute recommended animal foods like milk, meat, fish and eggs and plant foods such as pulses and legumes as they are rich sources of proteins. Animal proteins are of high quality as they provide all the essential amino acids in right proportions, while plant or vegetable proteins are not of the same quality because of their low content of some of the essential amino acids, NIN has stated in the guidelines.
Dr Sushanth Rai further pointed out a study by researchers from Cornell University which indicates that a long-term vegetarian diet can lead to a genetic mutation that may increase the risk of cancer and heart disease in India. The Journal of Metabolic Surgery and Allied Care which carried this study observed that a vegetarian diet often leads to morbid obesity. The study further cited a decreased risk of oral cancer if a person consumed regularly fish, eggs, and a variety of raw and cooked vegetables. In a scientific paper titled Cancer Risk and Diet in India by Sinha R, Anderson D E, Mc Donald S S, and Greenwald P of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute of the United States of America, the authors have concluded that additional research is needed to assess the impact of diverse dietary habits, religious practices, and lifestyles on prevention of cancer. KPFBA wonders how PETA India has arrived at this conclusion that a non-vegetarian diet alone causes health problems, ignoring lifestyle, tobacco and alcohol consumption among other things. The authors in a table have indicated the incidence rate of cancer associated with certain foods:
KPFBA reiterates that the poultry industry not only provides quality nutrients but also ensures large scale employment and adds to the GDP of the country to the tune of Rs one lac twenty thousand crore. PETA India should refrain from making a dietary choice to the population of India which is diverse socially, culturally and economically.
For details contact: Inayath Ulla Khan, executive secretary, on +91 9886730997 – ikhan@poultrykarnataka.net