What does it mean to eat ethically?

In contemporary society, progress is measured by choice and variety. We celebrate our ability to walk into a supermarket and find mangoes from Australia, avocados from Mexico, apples from Washington, and potatoes from Idaho all within the produce section. Yet what is the cost of this convenience and choice? The effects of globalization have allowed us to feel more connected; we can communicate instantly with someone on the other side of the world. Yet at the same time, we have become more alienated from the things that comprise our daily lives. American farmers in the Midwest labor from dawn until dusk in order to grow food to ship throughout the country and around the world while their own communities struggle to find food to put on their tables. As consumers, we strengthen this ever expanding food network and further exacerbate the inequalities it produces by supporting the companies that control it. Now instead of simply worrying about the nutrition and taste of our food, we must also be concerned with how our diet affects the environment, how the animals and workers are treated who produce it, and how our food choices contribute to development, resource depletion, pollution, and the availability of genetic modified ingredients. So with all of these considerations, how exactly does one eat ethically?
Over the course of the next few weeks, I will adopt different diets in an attempt to limit my environmental impact and support fair labor practices.