When shopping for lamb, pork, poultry or beef, do you ever consider the way the animals are treated before they make it to your table?

Unfortunately, food labels are confusing and there is no one label that consumers can rely on to show that the animals used to produce the food were humanely raised and handled.

To help consumers find and make more humane food choices at the supermarket, the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) launched a new website and released a survey ranking 23 U.S. grocery store chains by the availability of humanely labeled food on their shelves.

“Many people prefer food from humanely raised animals and are willing to pay more for it,” said Dena Jones, Program Manager for WSPA USA.

“Finding these products is often challenging because most food for sale in major U.S. supermarkets comes from animals raised in overcrowded, intensely confined, factory-style farms. Even when consumers find humanely labeled products, interpreting what the labels mean in terms of how the animals are treated is a challenge."

Jones says many Americans want to choose humanely when they order from a restaurant menu or pick a package from a store shelf but don't know what to look for.

Making matters worse: there is no one label that consumers can rely on to indicate that the animals used to produce the food were humanely treated.

To ease the confusion, WSPA has rated humane food labels, such as "cage free", "free range", "grass fed" and "organic".

WSPA recently surveyed 200 individual grocery stores throughout the U.S. to assess the availability of animal friendly foods on their shelves. Find out how your favorite store ranked in our report, Finding Animal Friendly Food.

“The food buying choices each of us makes every day have a profound impact on the lives of animals,” Jones says.

“We hope our survey and new website will help consumers find the products provide the facts they need to make more informed and humane decisions when they shop for groceries.”

WSPA staff and volunteers surveyed almost 200 individual stores in 34 states throughout the country including Alaska and Hawaii. They recorded the availability of humanely labeled products in four categories: dairy, eggs, unprocessed meat and poultry, and processed meat and poultry, and rated stores according to both the quantity and quality of the food selection.

To demystify labeling claims in terms of animal welfare, WSPA has developed a humane food classification system with standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) or by a third-party food certification program.

Whole Foods scored highest in the survey, offering twice ...    Continue

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