Frequently asked questions

What should consumers look for on a food label to learn about how the animal was raised?

How are humane food standards established?

How is compliance with humane standards verified and by whom?

Where can people buy products from humanely raised animals?

Are there any restaurants or grocery stores that sell only products from humanely raised animals?

Are all Organic Certified products from animals that have been humanely raised?

Are products labeled as “natural” from animals that have been humanely raised?

Do farm animal producers have their own animal welfare standards and, if so, are they adequate?

Are all humane food certification programs the same in terms of animal welfare requirements?

If a product is labeled as being certified by a humane food program is that a guarantee that the animals were raised under high animal welfare conditions?

If a food product does not have an animal welfare label does that mean the animals were raised under poor welfare conditions?

Does WSPA endorse a particular humane food program?

1. What should consumers look for on a food label to learn about how the animals were raised?

Unfortunately there’s not one single food label that provides an assurance to consumers that the animals used to produce the product were raised and handled according to humane standards. Currently several labels relating to animal welfare appear on food labels, including “cage free” (eggs only), “grass fed,” “free range,” “pasture raised,” Certified Organic,” “Certified Humane,” “American Humane Certified,” and “Animal Welfare Approved.” Download WSPA’s pocket food guide for more information. In addition, sometime in 2009 Whole Foods Market will launch an Animal Welfare Rating program. While all the previously listed labels indicate some level of animal welfare, the label term “natural” has no relevance to animal welfare. Read more about these different labels >>

2. How are humane food standards established?

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) creates standards for animal-derived food labeling terms. However, in most cases these are working definitions and not legal standards. USDA has solicited public comment on the meaning of some label terms such as “grass fed.” The USDA Certified Organic program was developed with input from a wide variety of individuals and organizations. Standards for humane food certification programs are developed, and periodically updated, by a scientific advisory committee. Each of the three current humane food certification programs – Certified Humane, American Humane Certified and Animal Welfare Approved – are backed by national animal advocacy organizations.

3. How is compliance with humane standards verified and by whom?

On-farm compliance with the standards of some USDA-approved food labels, including "free range" and “grass fed,” is not verified. However, compliance with “certified” label terms, such as “Certified Organic” and “Certified Humane,” is verified by a third-party under the direction of the certifying organization. All food certification programs include farm inspections, as well as document reviews. For example, a company that has been accredited by the USDA certifies all “Certified Organic” producers. Therefore, labels that include the words “certified” indicate that the manner in which the animals were raised was monitored to some extent.

4. Where can people buy products from humanely raised animals?

A wide variety of grocery stores and a smaller number of restaurants now sell humanely raised animal products. Humane food certification programs offer information about which producers participate in their programs and where these products can be found. Check out websites for Certified Humane, American Humane Certified, and Animal Welfare Approved to learn more. Also, the Eat Well Guide provides a database of producers, stores, restaurants, catering companies, and bed & breakfasts offering organic and humanely raised products.

5. Are there any restaurants or grocery stores that sell only products from humanely raised animals?

Yes, the Certified Humane program has certified a few restaurants as providing only humanely raised products. In addition a number of restaurants across the country serve only Certified Organic animal foods. At present all animal foods sold by Whole Foods Market must come from animals that have not been fed antibiotics or hormones and were not raised under intensive confinement. Whole Foods will soon launch its own animal welfare rating system for food labels, where each item will receive a rating from 1 to 5 depending on the type of conditions under which the animals were raised. The lowest rating of “1” will indicate the minimal level of animal welfare acceptable to the grocery chain, while a rating of “5” will indicate Whole Foods' “Gold Standard” of animal care.

6. Are all Certified Organic products from animals that have been humanely raised?

The USDA National Organic Program was not developed with the intent to address animal welfare concerns. However, Certified Organic standards do have some relevance to animal welfare. For example, the standards require that all animals have access to the outdoors and to natural sunlight and fresh air. Organic standards also require animals be provided with freedom of movement. Keeping animals in intensive confinement is generally incompatible with these requirements. However, some producers of dairy and egg products have taken advantage of loopholes in the Organic program to confine animals indoors or in a feedlot. Organic standards are also not specific to individual animal species and don't address important animal husbandry practices like weaning, surgical alterations (like cutting beaks off chickens and tails off cows and pigs), or the amount of space allotted to each animal.

7. Are products labeled as “natural” from animals that have been humanely raised?

No, the term “natural” has no relevance to the conditions under which the animals were raised. It applies only to the processing of the finished product, indicating that minimal processing was done and no artificial ingredients were added. However, in some cases, the term “natural” may be accompanied by additional terms that do have significance for animal welfare, such as “no antibiotics used” or “no hormones administered.”

8. Do farm animal producers have their own animal welfare standards and, if so, are they adequate?

Animal care guidelines have been developed by trade associations representing producers of all species of farmed animals including beef cattle, dairy cows, veal calves, pigs, sheep, meat chickens, egg-laying hens, and turkeys. But, with the exception of the program for laying hens, all industry care standards are merely voluntary guidelines and compliance with the guidelines is not monitored in any way. Moreover, the standards allow for a number of inhumane practices including intensive confinement, early weaning, use of electrical prods, and surgical alterations without anesthetic or pain relief. See WSPA's Farm Animal Welfare Glossary for a description of typical industry factory-farming practices.

9. Are all humane food certification programs the same in terms of animal welfare requirements?

No. While the Certified Humane and American Humane Certified programs are similar, significant differences exist between these and the Animal Welfare Approved program operated by the Animal Welfare Institute. The concept of certifying animal foods as being humanely raised is relatively new and not all animal welfare scientists agree on what standards are appropriate. In addition, the administrators of humane food programs differ on the question of whether the programs should allow participation by producers that raise animals under both humane and factory-farming systems (referred to as “dual operations”). Certified Humane and American Humane Certified allow dual operations, while Animal Welfare Approved only certifies products from family farms.

Many products sold as humane are produced by companies that confine a majority of their animals under factory conditions. These companies can typically offer their humane products for less than they could otherwise because the products are subsidized by the intensive portion of their operation. Eventually small family farmers who run 100% humane operations could be driven out of business.

See a comparison of these programs >>

10. If a product is labeled as being certified by a humane food program is that a guarantee that the animals were raised under high animal welfare conditions?

Animal welfare is a state that ranges from low to high. A humane certification label indicates that the animals used to produce the product were raised under conditions significantly better than those found on industrial-scale – or “factory” – farms. Due to economic considerations, however, a humane label does not necessarily indicate that the animals were raised under the best welfare conditions possible or under the same conditions that might be found in a sanctuary or at a private home where the animals are kept for non-commercial purposes. Even at a farm with high welfare conditions, the welfare of individual animals may be compromised due to a variety of reasons. And nearly all animals raised for meat in the U.S., even those on humanely certified farms, are slaughtered at an extremely young age, although the lifespan of an animal raised for a humane product may be greater than that of an animal raised conventionally on a factory farm.

11. If a food product does not have an animal welfare label does that mean the animals were raised under poor welfare conditions?

If an item is offered for sale at a major grocery chain it is likely that it was produced from animals raised in a factory farm. But if the food is being sold at a small local store or farmers market it may have been produced from animals raised under more natural conditions. In fact, some farmers raise a small number of animals on pasture under high welfare conditions but choose to sell their products locally in markets or directly to individual customers to avoid the administrative costs of certification programs. These farmers usually welcome visits from potential customers interested in seeing for themselves how the animals are raised and treated.

12. Does WSPA endorse any particular food certification program?

WSPA supports all three current humane food certification programs – Certified Humane, American Humane Certified, and Animal Welfare Approved. WSPA also supports the concept of the USDA Certified Organic program and recommends that the program's standards be revised to better address animal welfare.