Initially I was elated to see veganism given large coverage in The State News. While I assumed the journalists would present accurate and well-researched facts, Liz Kersjes proved me wrong with her opinion column, Vegetarian contemplates changing diet (SN 1/29). Unfortunately, Kersjes presented an article featuring a plethora of misinformation, apathy, self-interest and presumptions regarding the health of a vegan diet and the life of animals raised for food.

I urge you to do more research about vegan health and the animal agriculture industry — including idyllic-sounding “free-range,” organic and local organizations — through Web sites such as www.vegansociety.com, books, news articles and podcasts. There is a reason slaughterhouses and corporate agendas don’t have glass walls. Because the industries don’t freely give out information regarding their practices, you have to seek it out. Don’t make assumptions based on skewed information the dairy, egg and meat industries have saturated us with since birth.