Health and ethics are important issues for today's consumer. While shopping for food, you might consider whether or not it's organic, if it was produced locally, or if it's a certified fair trade item. If it's an animal product, you'll also want to consider how the animal that provided the food was treated. Read more about this subject:
About ten billion animals—chickens, pigs, turkeys, cows, and other animals—are raised for human consumption each year in the U.S. Most of them are raised by large producers rather than small family farmers. And on some of these farms many animals suffer extreme discomfort and pain in the name of efficiency. They may be subjected to intensive confinement—such as egg-laying hens being confined to "battery cages" in which they can't spread their wings and calves and pregnant pigs being placed in crates that are too narrow to turn around in. Animals are sometimes mutilated (the beaks of chickens are cut off so that they don't peck each other, for example). Animals raised in factory-like conditions often don't receive fresh air, sunlight, adequate clean water or healthful food.
At the same time, those large operations that are most likely to subject animals to poor conditions are also more likely to negatively effect the environment with pollution. And large operations are most often subsidized by the government.
Animal welfare is generally overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Currently, that department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service enforces the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The AWA does protect certain animals from inhumane treatment, but it doesn't apply to animals farmed for food.
Animal welfare groups push for minimum standards to protect the welfare of animals while they're raised, transported and slaughtered. (Some, of course, also oppose the slaughter of animals for consumption.) And they have the backing of the American public. According to a 2003 Gallup poll, 62 percent of Americans favor strict laws to protect farm animals. In a Zogby poll taken the same year, 82 percent of the respondents said that there should be laws protecting farm animals from cruelty. And in a survey conducted by researchers at Ohio State University in 2005, 92 percent of those surveyed believed that farm animals should be well cared for.
The good news is that there is high demand for humanely raised meat (beef, pork, and chicken) and other animal products. In fact, the demand is clear enough that big players in the food industry—like some major chain restaurants and celebrity chefs— have taken steps to insure that the animals used in their products have been humanely treated.
Individual states have passed specific laws protecting farm animals, and the federal government continues to have hearings on issues surrounding the humane treatment of animals. But at this point, compliance with guidelines for the humane treatment of farm animals is purely voluntary.
Some product labels such as "organic," "hormone-free" and "free-range" are commonly associated with humane farming practices. While products with these labels are certainly more likely to come from animal-friendly farms, they are not guarantees. The National Organic Program, for example, does require animals be allowed outdoors and exposed to natural daylight, as well as farm inspections for certification. But it does not stipulate that animals must be humanely treated. Products may be certified organic and still be obtained from factory farms with inhumane practices.
There are labeling systems that specifically address human treatment of animals:
The best way to support products from animals raised humanely is to know more about the supplier. Talk with your grocer about the products being sold. Buy from small family farmers who have proven that they have met specific guidelines. Check labels and look for Animal Welfare Approved, Certified Humane, or Free-Farm Certified products. Finally, make your preferences known to your local, state and federal representatives.
