Each year, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg sets himself a challenge. Last year, it was to learn Chinese. This year, Zuckerberg says he will only eat meat that comes from animals he’s personally killed, in an endeavor to understand the morality of eating meat.
“I’m eating a lot healthier foods. And I’ve learned a lot about sustainable farming and raising of animals,” he told Fortune in an email. “It’s easy to take the food we eat for granted when we can eat good things every day.” Reducing one’s meat consumption is also a way to reduce one’s impact on the environment, as is eating locally raised animals.
Zuckerberg made the announcement via his private Facebook page, saying he’d just killed a pig and a goat. He is getting help in his endeavor from Palo Alto restaurateur Jesse Cool, who has introduced Zuckerberg to farmers. After Zuckerberg kills each animal, it is then sent to a professional butcher, who cuts the animal apart. Zuckerberg and his girlfriend, who is also helping him with the project, are also making an effort to eat all of the animals’ parts, including the organs.
“This year I’ve basically become a vegetarian,” he said. “I started thinking about this last year when I had a pig roast at my house. A bunch of people told me that even though they loved eating pork, they really didn’t want to think about the fact that the pig used to be alive. That just seemed irresponsible to me. I don’t have an issue with anything people choose to eat, but I do think they should take responsibility and be thankful for what they eat rather than trying to ignore where it came from.”
Zuckerberg further expressed surprise by how many of his friends share similar interests in sustainable food, either through vegetarian diets, hunting and farming.
“As a vegetarian myself, I think it’s great that he’s exploring an alternative approach to food,” one Facebook employee told DietsInReview. “I hope it extends past this one year challenge, and that more follow suit.”