Revision as of 06:00, 15 August 2023

While the ethical argument will always be the strongest and most consistent argument for Veganism, along with environmental and health arguments being very strong in their own regards, a sometimes neglected argument in favor of Veganism is the one from economics. While the argument has more nuance and requires a familiarity with the literature and evidence (just as the arguments from ethics, environment, and health), they can be a great way to add an extra layer to your activism, and highlight even more the lose-lose nature of animal agriculture.

You wouldn't necessarily use economic arguments on their own, they should complement the health and environmental ones, since they only have substantial weight in light of these other arguments, as will be explained. Primarily, they come down to saving money in various ways, both government and personal. These arguments can appeal to more economically-minded people such as libertarians, who understand the value of a dollar.

This article will also address certain economic arguments that are used against Veganism, and how such issues would be addressed in a Vegan world.

Economic Arguments supporting Veganism

Easier on the wallet

A common myth spread about eating a Vegan diet (and eating healthier diets in general) is basing your diet on more healthful plants is more expensive than conventional diets. But if you want to find a healthy diet that costs you as little as possible, a Vegan diet is your best bet.

Most Vegan food, especially whole plant foods, are cheap staples. Grains such as oats and wheat (prepared like pasta or bread), legumes, seeds, root vegetables like potatoes carrots or sweet potatoes, and many fruits like bananas tend to be some of the cheapest foods around while often being the healthiest foods around. There are even ways of reducing this bill even further; Buying frozen fruits and vegetables instead of fresh opens up options for berries, bags of beans instead of cans can be cheaper, buying bulk nuts and seeds instead of prepackaged ones, and sometimes making your own oat, soy, almond, etc. milk instead of buying brands all go into cutting your budget down even further. These foods can be made to be delicious and tasty, with just a little bit of prep time (often this can be left largely to devices such as slow cookers which also save money).

People think fast food and processed meats found at the supermarket are cheaper because that's what they're used to eating so much, and they don't really take any time to consider the prices of plant foods. If you spend a little time planning and budgeting, $130 a month is more than enough to feed one person, and if your food budget is beyond that, that's even easier, but we're talking about those who are trying to save money.

Undoubtedly there are some Vegan foods that are on the more expensive side, such as berries, certain fruits and vegetables, and of course mock meats will all run you a bit more. But none of these are necessary for adequate nutrition, and while they're great to add to your diet for health benefits, you aren't losing out on anything by forgoing them. Some mock meats can even be made at home for value added foods, such as tempeh (expensive at a grocery store). Some of these recipes involve a time cost that not all people may be willing to pay, but for people who otherwise find food preparation more relaxing than employment, a penny saved is a penny earned.

Even with the heavy amount of subsidies placed on animal products, Vegan products like these are still cheaper. And without subsidies, animal products would be two to three times more expensive [citation needed]; considering that subsidies are paid with our tax dollars, we're still paying that price anyway on a societal level. Moving away from this would mean less taxation, or more money spent on programs that provide value added to society and the economy rather than drain it on an unnecessary and harmful luxury.

Improvements in healthcare infrastructure

Of course aside from Veganism being overall cheaper in the short term, it's also cheaper in the long term as well, when it helps reduce your chances of developing a debilitating illness. Harm to health is a cost most people don't factor in when it comes to cheap junk food.

One of the leading causes of disease and death in the developed world is poor diet. The Western Pattern Diet (formerly referred to as the Standard American Diet, which is common throughout the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, and even wealthier parts of less developed countries, particularly South Africa, India and those in Latin America), consumed by the overwhelming majority of people in rich countries, is high in foods that promote unhealthfulness. These foods include red meats, processed meats, eggs, cheese, butter, soda, sweet foods including candy and pastries, fried food, and refined grains. Even though most people are aware that these foods are terrible for us, especially if consumed on a regular basis, we're too short-sighted to consider the consequences of our actions, and our hedonistic-centered brains are too focused on our immediate satisfaction rather than the long-term health effects we will face.

About a third of all cancer cases, particularly colon cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer have been linked to poor diet, with eggs, beef, and processed meats being the main culprits. Over 70% of heart-related diseases and strokes are caused by high consumption of cholesterol and saturated fats [Link to these relevant Wiki articles]. Other health problems, including high-blood pressure, diabetes, crohn's disease, constipation, among others, have been linked to a poor diet, and treating all of these is not cheap.

Despite the United States lacking a Universal Healthcare system, the country has the highest percentage of GDP, roughly 18%[1], spent on healthcare globally, accounting for over four trillion dollars[2]. Given that poor diet is one of the main causes of hospital visits, some studies were conducted to see how much tax money could be saved if the population of the United States focused their diets on whole plants. Estimates range from about $50 billion[3] to $180 billion[4]. These numbers also likely do not consider the positive consequence of doctors and nurses not needing to see as many patients, which causes them to not make as many mistakes, which means less accidental injuries and deaths, which leads to less suing, culminating in an even larger healthcare savings. Since citizens in other developed countries follow a similar diet and lifestyle, we would expect similar returns if they were to move away from meat and consume plant foods.

[the studies should be quotes here and linked to directly, vs. news sites]

It's completely possible to eat poorly on a Vegan diet, with the existence of Vegan cookies, ice cream, donuts, high-saturated fat mock meats, and coincidentally Vegan products like Coke, certain candies, and chocolate frosting, with most of these things only being at most marginally healthier than their non-Vegan originals. However, vegans on average tend to be much more health conscious, being sure to eat more healthful whole plants while keeping junk food in moderation. Vegans on a poor diet likely tend to not stay Vegan for very long due to feeling malnourished. Eating just a couple servings a week of whole plants, particularly legumes, vegetables, and nuts, puts someone miles ahead of a person eating a junk-food diet, Vegan or non-Vegan, and is incredibly easy to accomplish. It's also possible to make healthful food delicious too, meaning little loss having meals like these over ice cream.

It also highlights how a diet that prioritizes whole plants (much closer to Veganism) saves more money than the current standard diet that prioritizes meat (not close to Veganism).

Regardless of what your opinion on socialized medicine is, saving money on healthcare is a pretty important consideration. Not only will we not need to treat anywhere near as many diseases as we do now, but this money can go towards other useful things for society, including scientific and technological research, investment in infrastructure, clean energy, education, and foreign aid, just to name a few. Is this the only way to save money on healthcare? Of course not. It can go further by promoting other healthy lifestyle choices such as not drinking, smoking, or doing drugs, promoting physical activity, and producing more doctors and nurses.

Economic Arguments Used Against Veganism

What about the loss of jobs?

Disregarding the fact that slaughterhouse and meat-rendering jobs rank among the worst jobs on planet Earth (almost certainly much worse than sweatshop jobs in terms of work conditions), leaving workers with PTSD, psychological problems, as well as the risk of personal injury and sickness, [quotes from slaughterhouse workers would be good to feature here, linking the relevant (unfortunately probably news) articles] keep in mind that progressive social change will come along with requiring some people to find new lines of work. While currently 99% of jobs in society are not harmful and serve as an impetus for economic development and helping out the world [This is probably not correct, a breakdown of employment sees a large number of people as middle men, increasing prices and not adding to societal wealth], jobs and sectors of the economy that are known to be evils must be eschewed in the name of progress. During the time of slavery, a big concern was the massive economic upheaval that would occur as a result of its abolishment. Did it result in this economic upset? Absolutely. Was it worth it? You probably know the answer to that. [Historian quotes, or historical pro-slavery propaganda images expressing economic concern would be good here]

[Changes to the job sector due to automation should also be briefly discussed]

But a lot of lobbyists on behalf of the animal agriculture industry will always be quick to point out how many jobs they are able to provide and how much GDP they add to the economy, hoping you conveniently ignore the horrible and unnecessary working conditions they create and that the dissolution of animal agriculture will not automatically translate to total job and economic loss; ONLY slaughterhouse and meat rendering jobs will be significantly lost, which will be replaced by others. There will still be a demand for food, and we will need people to grow, cultivate, process, etc. that food: This will not change. We will still need people (MORE people now that everyone's Vegan) to farm our crops (fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, which are now all being eaten by humans instead of half of them being fed to livestock) and package and ship them, and people will still buy them with their money instead of meat products, and we will need people to manufacture Vegan foods too, so instead of working in a burger plant, they will work in a veggie-burger factory.

This line is a last resort of lobbyists and marketers trying to make their industry seem like a public good since it's pretty damn hard to deny the harms they cause, though even if they provided jobs that can't be replaced, their industry causes far too much harm to animals and the environment to ever be worth it, and their industries make up a very small percentage of the workforce anyway. [Numbers needed on the percentage of the work force] ANY sort of busywork is beneficial to employment rate, even fixing broken windows. [show block quote or image discussing the broken window argument in economics] The more important issue for the vast majority should be that it does not increase societal wealth, but drains it due to its many harms. The end of animal agriculture will not spell economic destruction, and as the rest of this article shows, it will lead to economic relief.