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| − | People are becoming increasingly concerned about the welfare of animals used for food. This concern is spawned by undercover videos, social-media postings, documentary movies, and reporting by the press.
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| − | Some people hope to act on that concern by buying products that bear one of the humane-certification labels or that brandish some other designation, such as "cage free," "free-range," "grass fed," or "organic," thinking that such purchases cause little or no harm to the individuals whose flesh and secretions have been packaged for sale.
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| − | First, we explain why—even if specific humane claims are true—using animals for food is still not humane. Because using animals for food is still not humane, it's not necessary to show that the humane-sounding labels and certifications are misleading. But we do so anyway just so there can be no doubt. We also reveal that cruel practices are systemic to the process of using animals for food.
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| − | | |
| − | After the evidence is presented, it's easy to conclude that these labels have little to do with the well-being of the animals but are designed to at once assuage our guilt and compel us to spend more.
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| − | | |
| − | ANIMALS ARE HARMED BY DEPRIVING THEM OF THEIR LIVES
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| − | Research by cognitive ethologists and neurobiologists has confirmed that the animals we exploit for food, including fish, have desires, preferences, and emotions. They have a sense of themselves, a sense of the future, and a will to live. They have families, social communities, and natural behaviors.
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| − | | |
| − | In these ways and others, they are like us, and what happens to them matters to them. They each have an inherent value apart from their usefulness to us. So even if humane-sounding labels were aboveboard, using animals for food is still not humane because we are depriving them of the only life they have and a life they value.
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| − | This is true no matter how the killing is done, and it is true not only for animals used for meat but also for animals used for dairy products and eggs. Those used for dairy and eggs, like those used for meat, are slaughtered very early in their lives. They are slaughtered when their reproductive systems are used up and they are no longer profitable. None of the animals we use for food are allowed to live out their lives.
| + | Grass Fed |
| | + | Details: Enforcement. |
| | + | Enforcement is weak. The regulation states that "the addition of the grass fed claim for products formulated with grass fed beef is a type of claim that can be approved through a request for blanket approval." This means that an on-site audit is not required. Instead, the producer must submit documentation to FSIS, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.<ref>“Labeling Guideline on Documentation Needed to Substantiate Animal Raising Claims for Label Submissions.” USDA FSIS, n.d. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/bf170761-33e3-4a2d-8f86-940c2698e2c5/Label-Approval-Guide.pdf?MOD=AJPERES</ref> |
| | + | |
| | + | Details: Age of Slaughter. |
| | + | While bovines that finish feeding with grain in a feedlot are slaughtered when about one year old, ''grass fed'' animals are allowed to live no longer than two years of their 15-to-20-year life span.<ref>Whisnant, DVM, Patricia. “FAQ Grass Fed Beef.” American Grass Fed Beef (blog). Accessed October 25, 2018. https://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/faq-grass-fed-beef.asp </ref> |
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| − | Taking the life of anyone who wants to live is to harm that individual, regardless of their species. Just as we would not consider killing for food humane if it were done to dogs, cats, or humans, then by any measure of fairness and justice, it is not humane when done to other sentient beings.
| + | <li>United Egg Producers Certified. |
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| − | Humane slaughter is an oxymoron. "Humane" means showing compassion or benevolence. To slaughter is to kill or butcher someone who does not want to die. Slaughter is a violent act, not an act of compassion or benevolence.
| + | Details: Freedom to Move. |
| | + | |
| | + | According to Consumer Reports, "the UEP Certified guidelines allow continuous confinement in crowded cages in dimly lit buildings without natural light and fresh air. Hens only have to be given enough space to stand upright, with a minimum space requirement of 8 by 8 inches for white laying hens kept in a cage. Producers keeping their hens in cages do not have to allow the hens to move freely, perch, dust bathe, or forage, and nest boxes are not required. While the label is verified, it is not meaningful as an animal welfare label because certain basic conditions, such as the freedom to move, are not required."<ref>“United Egg Producers Certified.” Greener Choices | Consumer Reports, March 23, 2017. http://greenerchoices.org/2017/03/23/united-egg-producers-certified/ </ref> |
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| − | HUMANE-SOUNDING LABELS AND CERTIFICATIONS ARE MOSTLY MEANINGLESS
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| − | Labels such as "free-range" and "cage free," as well as various humane certifications, such as the Global Animal Partnership (GAP), have been called into question by Consumer Reports and others for lacking meaningful standards and adequate enforcement.
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| − | The labels and certifications that are addressed separately in the full article—and shown to embody spurious claims—include "free-range," "cage free," "pasture raised," "grass fed," "organic," "backyard" (chickens), Certified Humane, Global Animal Partnership (GAP), American Humane Certified, United Egg Producers Certified, USDA Process Verified, Animal Welfare Approved, and Certified Sustainable Seafood.
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| − | CRUELTY AND SUFFERING ARE SYSTEMIC IN USING ANIMALS AS COMMODITIES FOR PROFIT
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| − | The abuses inflicted on farmed animals are many and often severe, and they're part of the normal operations of exploiting animals for food. These abuses include confinement, crowding, mutilation, deprivation of natural behaviors, debilitating selective breeding, cruel handling, separation from their offspring, and, of course, slaughter.
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| − | Because many of the abuses are systemic, they cannot be humanely-labeled away. To be profitable, animal agriculture depends on animals being mistreated. For any label or certification to omit all animal abuses would render the products unaffordable by all but the most affluent.
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| − | The cruelty stems in part from the attitudes that surround the commodification of animals, as exemplified by a piece in Hog Management, which recommends that farmers "forget the pig is an animal—treat him just like a machine in a factory."
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| − | Here are a few specific examples of cruelty not covered earlier. These are allowed under many, if not most, labels and certifications.
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| − |
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| − | —The early separation of calves from their mothers, depriving the calves of the love and milk of their mothers and depriving the grieving cow of her nurturing instinct
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| − | —Painful debeaking of chickens, depriving them of their ability to engage in preening and foraging
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| − | —Forcing a hesitant animal to move by any methods necessary, including whipping, prodding, dragging, and forklifting (the evidence for this can be seen in numerous videos and the several firsthand accounts in the book "Slaughterhouse" by Gail A. Eisnitz)
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| − | —The dehorning of cows, which one professor of animal science calls "the single most painful thing we do," done via acid, burning, sawing, or cutting with a gigantic clipper
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| − | –The clipping of teeth and tails of piglets, a painful procedure usually performed without medication and which may also result in infections, tumors, and the suppression of natural behaviors
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| − | HUMANE-SOUNDING LABELS AND CERTIFICATIONS MAY BEST BE THOUGHT OF AS MARKETING
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| − | The animal agriculture industry is aware of the growing concern for animals and know that if they appear to be uncaring, sales and profits will decline. They also know that few will examine these humane-sounding claims to see if they are true. So these labels and certifications give the appearance of being humane, assuaging the guilt of compassionate buyers.
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| − | They may also engender higher profits, because the industry also knows that concerned, kindhearted consumers are willing to pay more for products they perceive to be humanely produced.
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| − | YOU CANNOT BUY PRODUCTS MADE FROM ANIMALS THAT HAVE BEEN TREATED HUMANELY
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| − | Even if you buy into the idea that it’s OK to eat animal products as long as the animals are treated well, there is virtually no chance that the animals have, in fact, been treated well, regardless of what label is on the package. While certain labels may represent less suffering for some of the abuses, other abuses remain. The mitigation of some of the cruelties does not justify the remaining ones.
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| − | As we have shown and as exposed via Consumer Reports and other sources, the standards for these humane-sounding labels are weak and they often go unenforced.
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| − | The life of any farmed animal can only be described as one of commodified, abusive servitude ending in brutal slaughter. When viewed objectively, free from the fog of our cultural norms, their treatment and slaughter, no matter the label or certification—and by any standard of fairness and justice—cannot be considered humane.
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>Context.
| |
| − | <ul>
| |
| − | <li>People are becoming increasingly concerned about the welfare of animals used for food. This concern is
| |
| − | spawned by undercover videos, social-media postings, documentary movies, and reporting by the press.
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | <li>Some people hope to act on that concern by buying products that bear one of the humane-certification
| |
| − | labels or that brandish some other designation, such as ''cage free'', ''free-range'', ''grass
| |
| − | fed'', or ''organic'', thinking that such purchases cause little or no harm to the individuals
| |
| − | whose flesh and secretions have been packaged for sale.
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | <li>First, we explain why—even if specific humane claims are true—using animals for food is still not
| |
| − | humane. Because using animals for food is still not humane, it's not necessary to show that the
| |
| − | humane-sounding labels and certifications are misleading. But we do so anyway just so there can be no
| |
| − | doubt. We also reveal that cruel practices are systemic to the process of using animals for food.
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | <li>After the evidence is presented, it's easy to conclude that these labels have little to do with the
| |
| − | well-being of the animals but are designed to at once assuage our guilt and compel us to spend more.
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | </ul>
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | <li>Animals are harmed by depriving them of their lives.
| |
| − | <ul>
| |
| − | <li>Research by cognitive ethologists and neurobiologists has confirmed that the animals we exploit for
| |
| − | food, including fish, have desires, preferences, and emotions. They have a sense of themselves, a sense
| |
| − | of the future, and a will to live. They have families, social communities, and natural
| |
| − | behaviors.<ref>Bekoff, Mark, Colin Allen, and Gordon Burghardt. ''The Cognitive Animal: Empirical and
| |
| − | Theoretical Perspectives on Animal Cognition''. A Bradford Book, 2002 </ref>
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | <li>In these ways and others, they are like us, and what happens to them matters to them. They each have an
| |
| − | inherent value apart from their usefulness to us.
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | <li>So even if humane-sounding labels were aboveboard, using animals for food is still not humane because we
| |
| − | are depriving them of the only life they have and a life they value.
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | <li>This is true no matter how the killing is done, and it is true not only for animals used for meat but
| |
| − | also for animals used for dairy products and eggs. Those used for dairy and eggs, like those used for
| |
| − | meat, are slaughtered very early in their lives. They are slaughtered when their reproductive systems
| |
| − | are used up and they are no longer profitable. None of the animals we use for food are allowed to live
| |
| − | out their lives.
| |
| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>Details: Age of Animals Slaughtered vs. Natural Life Span.
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>Note
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>The equivalent human age was calculated based on an 80-year human life span.
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| − | </li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Broiler Chickens
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>Natural Life Span: 8 years</li>
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| − | <li>Age at Slaughter: 5–7 weeks</li>
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| − | <li>Percentage of Life Lived: < 1.2%</li>
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| − | <li>Equivalent Human Age at Slaughter: 1 year</li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Laying Hens
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>Natural Life Span: 8 years</li>
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| − | <li>Age at Slaughter: 18 months</li>
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| − | <li>Percentage of Life Lived: < 18.75%</li>
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| − | <li>Equivalent Human Age at Slaughter: 15 years</li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Beef Cows
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>Natural Life Span: 15–20 years</li>
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| − | <li>Age at Slaughter: 18 months</li>
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| − | <li>Percentage of Life Lived: 7.5%</li>
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| − | <li>Equivalent Human Age at Slaughter: 6 years</li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Dairy Cows
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>Natural Life Span: 15–20 years</li>
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| − | <li>Age at Slaughter: 4 years</li>
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| − | <li>Percentage of Life Lived: 20%</li>
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| − | <li>Equivalent Human Age at Slaughter: 16 years</li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Pigs
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>Natural Life Span: 10–12 years</li>
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| − | <li>Age at Slaughter: 5–6 months</li>
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| − | <li>Percentage of Life Lived: 3%</li>
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| − | <li>Equivalent Human Age at Slaughter: 3 years</li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Source<ref>Age of Animals Slaughtered.” Accessed February 23, 2018.
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| − | http://www.aussieabattoirs.com/facts/age-slaughtered </ref>
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| − | </li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
| |
| − | <li>Taking the life of anyone who wants to live is to harm that individual, regardless of their species.
| |
| − | Just as we would not consider killing for food humane if it were done to dogs, cats, or humans, then by
| |
| − | any measure of fairness and justice, it is not humane when done to other sentient beings.
| |
| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Humane slaughter is an oxymoron. ''Humane'' means showing compassion or benevolence. To slaughter is
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| − | to kill or butcher someone who does not want to die. Slaughter is a violent act, not an act of
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| − | compassion or benevolence.
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| − | </li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Humane-sounding labels and certifications are mostly meaningless.
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>Context.
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>Here we address the most common labels and certifications. Some labels and certifications cover
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| − | some forms of abuse, and others cover different forms of abuse, but none address all forms of
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| − | abuse. But even if they did, the standards are often not enforced.
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| − | </li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Free-Range.
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>The USDA standard for ''free-range'' requires only that chickens are given some access to the
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| − | outdoors. There are no stipulations for the size or quality of the outdoor space, and there is
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| − | no requirement that the chickens actually spend time outdoors.<ref>“FSIS.” Food Safety Inspection
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| − | Service, USDA,
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| − | http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/meat-and-poultry-labeling-terms</ref>
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| − | Also, the claim does not have to be verified through inspections.<ref>“What Does ‘Free Range’
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| − | Mean?” Greener Choices | Consumer Reports, April 25, 2017.
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| − | http://greenerchoices.org/2017/04/25/free-range/ </ref>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>So it's not surprising that investigations by Consumer Reports (and others) reveal that most
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| − | chickens labeled ''free-range'' spend their lives confined inside a crowded chicken house.
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| − | The free-range space itself may be nothing more than an enclosed concrete slab that the chickens
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| − | never use. These individuals lack the room even to turn around, much less engage in their
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| − | natural behaviors of preening, nesting, foraging, dust bathing, and perching.<ref>“What Does ‘Free
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| − | Range’ Mean?” Greener Choices | Consumer Reports, April 25, 2017.
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| − | http://greenerchoices.org/2017/04/25/free-range/ </ref>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>This has led Consumer Reports to say that "'free range''''' is one of the most potentially
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| − | misleading labels because of the discrepancy between what it implies and what is required to
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| − | make the claim."<ref>“What Does ‘Free Range’ Mean?” Greener Choices | Consumer Reports, April 25,
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| − | 2017. http://greenerchoices.org/2017/04/25/free-range/ </ref>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Extra.
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>Only one percent of eggs are from ''free-range'' hens that have the option to go
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| − | outdoors, but like the other 99 percent, even those hens have likely never actually been
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| − | outdoors.<ref>“A Hen’s Space to Roost.” New York Times, August 15, 2010.
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| − | http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/weekinreview/20100815-chicken-cages.pdf </ref>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Jonathan Foer, in his well-researched and fact-checked book<ref>Yonan, Joe. “Book Review:
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| − | Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer,” November 22, 2009.
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| − | http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/20/AR2009112001684.html</ref> ''Eating
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| − | Animals'', sums it up well in saying that "the free-range label is bullshit" and
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| − | "should provide no more peace of mind than 'all-natural,' 'fresh,' or 'magical.'"<ref>Foer,
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| − | Jonathan Safran. Eating Animals. Little, Brown, 2009, 102 </ref>
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| − | </li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Cage Free.
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>Consumer Reports advises you to “ignore cage-free claims” for chickens.<ref>“A ‘Cage-Free’ Claim:
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| − | Does It Add Value?” Greener Choices |Consumer Reports, March 5, 2018
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| − | http://greenerchoices.org/2018/03/05/cage-free-add-value/ </ref> "'Cage-free' does not mean the
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| − | chickens had access to the outdoors." It only means the chickens were not confined to a
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| − | cage.<ref>What Does ‘Cage Free’ Mean?” Greener Choices | Consumer Reports, February 6, 2017.
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| − | http://greenerchoices.org/2017/02/06/cage-free-mean/ </ref>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>''Cage free'' chickens, like ''free-range'' chickens, may be confined not by a cage but by
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| − | crowding so extreme that turning around and engaging in those previously mentioned natural
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| − | behaviors of preening, nesting, foraging, dust bathing, and perching is difficult or impossible.
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| − | Such extreme crowding in large metal warehouses is the norm, with each chicken allowed less than
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| − | a square foot of space.<ref>ibid.</ref>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Extra.
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>Other conditions inside the warehouses add to the misery of the confined birds. To
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| − | mention only one, for brevity's sake: the ammonia-laden air in the chicken houses is so
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| − | noxious that the birds commonly suffer respiratory disorders, severe flesh and eye
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| − | burns, and even blindness.<ref>“Ammonia Toxicity in Chickens.” PoultryDVM. Accessed October
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| − | 25, 2018. http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/ammonia-burn </ref>
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| − | </li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Pasture Raised.
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>According to Consumer Reports, “government agencies have no common standard that producers have
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| − | to meet to make a 'pasture raised' claim on a food label, no definition for ‘pasture,’ and no
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| − | requirement for the claim to be verified through on-farm inspections.”<ref>“Pasture Raised” Greener
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| − | Choices | Consumer Reports, April 4, 2017, http://greenerchoices.org/2017/04/26/pasture-raised/
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| − | </ref>
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| − | </li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Grass Fed.
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>The USDA-regulated ''grass fed'' label in the United States requires that the bovine is fed
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| − | grass their entire life. The designation has only to do with feeding and does not prohibit
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| − | routine cruelties, such as dehorning, castration, confinement, harsh living conditions, rough
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| − | handling, and lack of veterinary care.
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Enforcement is weak,<ref>“Labeling Guideline on Documentation Needed to Substantiate Animal Raising
| |
| − | Claims for Label Submissions.” USDA FSIS, n.d.
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| − | https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/bf170761-33e3-4a2d-8f86-940c2698e2c5/Label-Approval-Guide.pdf?MOD=AJPERES</ref>
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| − | and the animals are still slaughtered at an early age.<ref>Whisnant, DVM, Patricia. “FAQ Grass Fed
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| − | Beef.” American Grass Fed Beef (blog). Accessed October 25, 2018.
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| − | https://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/faq-grass-fed-beef.asp </ref>
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>Details: Enforcement.
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>Enforcement is weak. The regulation states that "the addition of the grass
| |
| − | fed claim for products formulated with grass fed beef is a type of claim that
| |
| − | can be approved through a request for blanket approval." This means that an
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| − | on-site audit is not required. Instead, the producer must submit documentation
| |
| − | to FSIS, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.<ref>“Labeling Guideline on
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| − | Documentation Needed to Substantiate Animal Raising Claims for Label
| |
| − | Submissions.” USDA FSIS, n.d.
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| − | https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/bf170761-33e3-4a2d-8f86-940c2698e2c5/Label-Approval-Guide.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
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| − | </ref>
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| − | </li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Details: Age of Slaughter.
| |
| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>While bovines that finish feeding with grain in a feedlot are slaughtered when
| |
| − | about one year old, ''grass fed'' animals are allowed to live no longer than
| |
| − | two years of their 15-to-20-year life span.<ref>Whisnant, DVM, Patricia. “FAQ Grass
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| − | Fed Beef.” American Grass Fed Beef (blog). Accessed October 25, 2018.
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| − | https://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/faq-grass-fed-beef.asp </ref>
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| − | </li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | </ul>
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| − | </li>
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| − | <li>Organic.
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| − | <ul>
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| − | <li>Some have the perception that ''organic'' means humanely raised, but that is not the case.
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| − | Organic farmers are free to treat their animals no better than non-organic farmers. This is
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| − | because the USDA, which controls the ''organic'' label in the United States, ruled that the
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| − | label does not allow "broadly prescriptive, stand-alone animal welfare regulations."<ref>Whoriskey,
| |
| − | Peter. “Should ‘USDA Organic’ Animals Be Treated More Humanely? The Trump Administration Just
| |
| − | Said No.” Washington Post, December 15, 2017.
| |
| − | https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/12/15/should-usda-organic-animals-be-treated-more-humanely-the-trump-administration-just-said-no/
| |
| − | </ref>
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | <li>Consumer Reports informs us that while there are organic standards relating to animals, they
| |
| − | lack clarity and precision, letting producers with poor standards sell poultry and eggs.<ref>“Do
| |
| − | You Care about Animal Welfare on Organic Farms?” Greener Choices | Consumer Reports, February 6,
| |
| − | 2018. http://greenerchoices.org/2018/02/06/care-animal-welfare-organic-farms/ </ref>
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | </ul>
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | <li>Certified Humane Raised and Handled.
| |
| − | <ul>
| |
| − | <li>Consumer Reports says that "we do not rate Certified Humane as a highly meaningful label for
| |
| − | animal welfare, because the standards do not have certain requirements that a majority of
| |
| − | consumers expect from a 'humanely raised' label, such as access to the outdoors."<ref>“Certified
| |
| − | Humane Raised and Handled.” Consumer Reports—Greener Choices | Consumer Reports, January 30,
| |
| − | 2017. http://greenerchoices.org/2017/01/30/certified-humane/ </ref>
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | </ul>
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | <li>Whole Foods's Global Animal Partnership (GAP) Certified.
| |
| − | <ul>
| |
| − | <li>The Open Philanthropy Project criticized GAP for having weak enforcement and for providing only
| |
| − | slight improvements over standard factory farming conditions.<ref>“Global Animal Partnership.” Open
| |
| − | Philanthropy Project, March 26, 2016. <a
| |
| − | href="https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/global-animal-partnership-general-support">https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/global-animal-partnership-general-support
| |
| − | </ref></a> For example, according to Consumer Reports, "standards for slaughter do not exist at
| |
| − | any level for chickens and there is no limit on their rate of growth."<ref>“Global Animal
| |
| − | Partnership Step 5+.” Greener Choices | Consumer Reports, May 23, 2017.
| |
| − | http://greenerchoices.org/2017/05/23/global-animal-partnership-step-5/ </ref>
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | <li>GAP doesn't even publish standards for dairy cows, arguably the most abused of any of the farmed
| |
| − | mammals.
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | </ul>
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | <li>American Humane Certified.
| |
| − | <ul>
| |
| − | <li>According to Consumer Reports, "the requirements fall short in meeting consumer expectations for
| |
| − | a 'humane' label in many ways."<ref>“American Humane Certified.” Consumer Reports—Greener Choices |
| |
| − | Consumer Reports, January 11, 2017.
| |
| − | http://greenerchoices.org/2017/01/11/american-humane-certified/ </ref>
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | </ul>
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | <li>United Egg Producers Certified.
| |
| − | <ul>
| |
| − | <li>Consumer Reports says that while the label is verified, "it is not meaningful as an animal
| |
| − | welfare label because certain basic conditions, such as the freedom to move, are not
| |
| − | required."<ref>“United Egg Producers Certified.” Greener Choices | Consumer Reports, March 23,
| |
| − | 2017. http://greenerchoices.org/2017/03/23/united-egg-producers-certified/ </ref>
| |
| − | <ul>
| |
| − | <li>Details: Freedom to Move.
| |
| − | <ul>
| |
| − | <li>According to Consumer Reports, "the UEP Certified guidelines allow continuous
| |
| − | confinement in crowded cages in dimly lit buildings without natural light and
| |
| − | fresh air. Hens only have to be given enough space to stand upright, with a
| |
| − | minimum space requirement of 8 by 8 inches for white laying hens kept in a cage.
| |
| − | Producers keeping their hens in cages do not have to allow the hens to move
| |
| − | freely, perch, dust bathe, or forage, and nest boxes are not required. While the
| |
| − | label is verified, it is not meaningful as an animal welfare label because
| |
| − | certain basic conditions, such as the freedom to move, are not
| |
| − | required."<ref>“United Egg Producers Certified.” Greener Choices | Consumer
| |
| − | Reports, March 23, 2017.
| |
| − | http://greenerchoices.org/2017/03/23/united-egg-producers-certified/ </ref>
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | </ul>
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | </ul>
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| − | </ul>
| |
| − | </li>
| |
| | <li>USDA Process Verified. | | <li>USDA Process Verified. |
| | <ul> | | <ul> |
