In his books Plant-Thinking and the forthcoming The Philosopher's Plant, Spanish philosopher, professor Michael Marder calls for a "more respectful treatment of the flora" that we feast on so thoughtlessly.

Enough about animal cruelty already, think of the broad beans screaming silently and clinging to the plant as they are perniciously plucked.

Some fruitarians are at the vanguard, harvesting only naturally fallen fruits, nuts and seeds to avoid harming the plant or tree.

But, before we go accusing people of being fruit loops, let's consider some food for thought.

Plants are more sophisticated than previously thought, even sending out distress signals to other plants when they are under threat.

"In the last 15 years the idea that plants are communicating has become much more accepted," says Richard Karban, an evolutionary ecologist at the University of California, Davis. "The evidence for that is now substantial and it's exciting to unravel all these different realms of plant communication."

"Plants are not static or silly," adds Monika Hilker of the Institute of Biology at the Free University of Berlin. "They respond to tactile cues, they recognise different wavelengths of light, they listen to chemical signals, they can even talk" through chemical signals.

"These are sensory modalities and abilities we normally think of as only being in animals."

Indeed, says Michael Pollan, author of Food Rules: An Eater's Manual, "the line between plants and animals might be a little softer than we traditionally think of it as".

So, perhaps Marder has a point. If we are to discuss ethical eating, do plants deserve the same consideration as animals?

Marder, thankfully, is not suggesting we bring out a gigantic air-blowing fan at our next dinner party for guests to gorge on.

Rather, he argues that rethinking food and reconnecting to the process by eating and growing locally is the way of the future whether it is animals or plants or any other form of sustenance.

"Eating is not a very ethical activity in and of itself, because, in the process, the eater destroys the independence of whatever is eaten and literally incorporates it into her – or himself," he tells The Irish Times.

Before we throw in the organic cotton, fair-trade towel, he isn't a total killjoy and offers (somewhat of) a solution.

"The closest we come to eating ethically is by nourishing ourselves on locally grown fruit or vegetables.

"A more significant question is how one eats, rather than what. Does one acknowledge and show respect towards other potentialities of one's sources of nutrition, resisting the temptation to convert them entirely into food?

"Does one let a being that provides one with sustenance live? Does one give thanks for this gift of nourishment?"

So we appreciate the food we eat and acknowledge where it has come from and how it has been procured – ideally, avoid factory farms and choose as much as we are able from local, organic or smallhold farms instead.

How to consume in a more conscious way is a hot topic, for environmental as well as ethical reasons.

Some of us become vegetarian, while others, choose to be 'conscious carnivores'.

Some like New York Times food writer Mark Bittman and Richard Branson minimise their meat intake and become "semi-vegetarian" to reduce their carbon footprint.

Regardless of whether we are vegan, vegetarian or consciously carnivorous, there may not be a perfect solution and no truly "Happy Meal".

Rather, we might make an ethical and more environmentally friendly compromise and choose 'Happier Meals'; that is, ones that are more climate-friendly, healthful and produced in a respectful way.

"We have to take matters into our own hands, not only by advocating for a better diet for everyone – and that's the hard part – but by improving our own," Bittman says. "We'll reduce not only calories, but our carbon footprint. We can make food more important, not less, and save ourselves by doing so."