September
2006
Decoding
the Label: A Brief Guide to Meat and Dairy Labels and their Relevance
to Animal Welfare
Compiled by Kymberlie Adams Matthews
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Consumers may notice an influx
in the variety of labels on meat and dairy these days. Humane, grass-fed,
organic…what exactly do these mean? Some of them represent adherence
to actual guidelines, while others are unverifiable and may falsely
advertise the conditions in which the animals lived.
Quality assurance programs and guidelines like “antibiotic free” and “cage-free” created
by animal agriculture trade associations and individual producers were developed—with
little or no public input—by scientists and industry officials with no
expertise in animal welfare. Such guidelines fail to provide animals with freedom
from hunger, discomfort, pain, fear and distress. Areas of transportation,
genetic selection and the breeding of animals are also ignored.
By comparison, third party certification standards like “organic,” may
help lessen animal suffering, but significant deficiencies still exist in these
as well. The following is a decoding of the most common labels. Claims listed
in quotation marks—Certified Organic, Certified Humane, and Free Farmed
Certified—are programs with specific guidelines or standards, whereas
the remaining claims are essentially only labels.?
Industry Standards
Animal Care Certified
The United Egg Producers (UEP) became the first industry trade association
to develop a voluntary certification program for farmed animals. Unfortunately,
the original standards set for the Animal Care Certified program did little
to
improve the welfare of hens raised in factory farms, serving primarily as a
marketing tool to promote the sale of battery cage-produced eggs in response
to heightened
consumer interest in welfare standards. In 2004, the Better Business Bureau
filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission stating that the Animal
Care Certified
seal is misleading advertising and recommended that use of the seal be discontinued.
As a result, a new logo, “United Egg Producers Certified,” will
take its place and hopefully not mislead consumers with the false message of
humane
animal care.
Who verifies this claim?
The Animal Care Certified claim is no longer active.
United Egg Producers Certified
The overwhelming majority of the U.S. egg industry complies with this voluntary
program, which permits routine cruel and inhumane factory farm practices. By
2008, hens laying these eggs will be afforded 67 square inches of cage space
per bird, less area than a sheet of paper. The hens are confined in restrictive,
barren cages and cannot perform many of their natural behaviors, including perching,
nesting, foraging or even spreading their wings. Forced molting through starvation
is prohibited but debeaking is allowed.
Who verifies this claim?
Compliance is verified through third party auditing by the United Egg Producers
(www.uepcertified.com).
Third Party Certification
Certified Humane Raised and Handled
Animals must be kept in conditions which allow for exercise and freedom of movement.
Crates, cages and tethers are?prohibited, but outdoor access is not required.
Stocking densities are specified to ensure animals are not overcrowded, and animals
must be provided with bedding materials. Hormone and non-therapeutic antibiotic
use is prohibited. For poultry, forced molting through starvation is prohibited,
but debeaking is permitted. Compliance is verified through third party auditing.
Producers also must comply with environmental standards.
Who verifies this claim?
Certified Humane?is a program of Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC; www.certifiedhumane.org).
A consortium of animal welfare organizations, individuals and foundations fund
HFAC, including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
and the Humane Society of the U.S. Farms wishing to be certified must be inspected.
In addition, the USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Livestock and Seed
Program verifies the inspection process of this program.
Certified Organic
Animals must be allowed outdoor access. Cows, sheep and goats must
be given access to pasture. (Consumers should be aware of concerns
about lax enforcement, with
some large-scale producers not providing meaningful access to the outdoors.)
Animals must be provided with bedding materials. Use of hormones and
antibiotics is prohibited. Animals must eat 100 percent organic feed
that does not contain
any animal byproducts or growth hormones. Currently, there are no federal
or state programs to certify aquatic animals, including fish, as
organic.
Who verifies this claim?
Certified Organic, Inc. (www.certifiedorginc.org) verifies that farmers
and producers meet the standards set by the USDA National Organic Program.
USDA does not verify products
but does
accredit all organic certifiers to be able to use the Certified Organic,
Inc. or USDA organic labels.
Free Farmed Certified
Based in part on the Freedom Food standards created by the Royal
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, these guidelines
include access
to clean
and sufficient food and conditions which allow for freedom of movement.
Crates, cages and tethers are not prohibited. Outdoor access is not
required. Stocking
densities are specified to ensure animals are not overcrowded, and
animals must be provided with bedding materials. Hormone and non-therapeutic
antibiotic use
is prohibited.
Who verifies this claim?
Started in 2000, this program is administered through the American
Humane Association (AHA; www.americanhumane.org). The USDA/AMS service
is paid
to conduct on-site
assessments of only 25 percent of certified farms. AHA uses One Cert,
an inspection company accredited by the USDA.
Other Labels
Antibiotic-Free
The USDA considers this term “un-approvable” on any meat products.
Yet, they allow producers to label meat and poultry products with “no antibiotics
administered” or “raised without antibiotics.” These
claims only imply that the animals did not receive any antibiotics during
the course
of their life, but is unverifiable. There is no organization behind this
claim other than the company manufacturing or marketing the product.
Cage-Free
Birds raised for meat, unlike those raised for eggs, are rarely caged
prior to transport and, therefore, this label on poultry products
has no relevance
to
animal welfare. However, eggs labeled “cage-free” indicate
the hens are not kept in battery cages. Instead, they are uncaged inside
barns
or warehouses
and do not generally have access to the outdoors. They have the ability
to engage in some of their natural behaviors such as walking, nesting and
spreading
their
wings. But debeaking and forced molting through starvation are permitted.
There is no third party auditing.
Free-Range
The USDA has defined “free-range” or “free roaming” for
poultry products but not for eggs. Birds should have outdoor access, but information
on frequency or duration does not have to be provided and stocking densities
are not required. Many shoppers think the animal has spent a portion of its life
outdoors, foraging, dusting and running. Yet in reality, the government only
requires that outdoor access be made available for “an undetermined period
each day,” leaving it up to the producers. Producers submit affidavits
to the USDA supporting their animal production claims to receive approval
for this label.
Grain-Fed
This claim has little relevance to animal welfare, but feeding ruminants—cows,
sheep and goats—high levels of grain can cause liver abscesses and problems
with lameness. As such, those labeled “grain-fed” most likely come
from animals who suffered under lower welfare standards than those labeled “grass-fed.” There
is no organization behind this claim other than the company manufacturing
or marketing the product.
Grass-Fed and Pasture-Raised
Animals must have access to the outdoors and be able to engage in
some natural behaviors such as grazing. However, no information on
stocking
density, the frequency
or duration of outdoor access must be provided, or on the quality
of the land accessible to the animals must be given. Producers only
have
to submit affidavits
to the USDA supporting their claims in order to receive approval
for these labels.
Hormone-Free, rBGH-Free, rBST-Free and No Hormones Added
Use of the term “hormone-free” is considered “un-approvable” by
the USDA on any meat products. Meat and poultry products carrying the “no
hormones administered” claim imply that the animal must not have received
any added hormones during the course of its lifetime. These labels on dairy products
mean cows were not injected with rBGH or rBST, genetically engineered hormones
that increase milk production. Chicken and pig producers are not legally allowed
to use hormones. There is no organization behind this claim other than the company
manufacturing or marketing the product. The USDA has defined the use of the term
and can hold manufacturers accountable for using “hormone-free” on
meat products.
Natural
This claim has no relevance to animal welfare.
Vegetarian-Fed
These animals are given a more natural feed, presumably free of animal
flesh and blood, but this claim is not verifiable and does not have
significant relevance to the animals’ living conditions.
Resources: Humane Society of the United States (www.hsus.org), Farm
Sanctuary (www.farmsanctuary.org) and Eco Labels (www.eco-labels.org).
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