Soil Food // Megan LaCognata

I’ve always had an interest in health and nutrition, and in high school I learned everything I could about the food industry. In coming across a speech by animal rights activist Gary Yourofsky, I was abruptly exposed to what goes on behind slaughterhouse doors and the immeasurable cruelty inflicted on the animals that we raise for food. Motivation for my dietary choices quickly became personal. My awareness of the realities wouldn’t and didn’t just disappear, so I geared my research toward the meat and dairy industries, factory farming, animal welfare, and everything in between. As a designer, I have a responsibility to communicate information that I find important in a tasteful way. Reflecting on the traumatizing way that I became exposed to the realities of the meat and dairy industries, seeing videos of the abuse within slaughterhouses, allowed me to cultivate my own way of educating.

Soil Food is a plant-based informational cookbook that addresses issues related to animal agriculture and factory farming. Simple infographics that deal with these problems are integrated with recipes that offer direction toward solutions. My intention is to encourage people to incorporate more plant-based meals into their diets for their own health, for global sustainability, for the environment, and for the animals.