https://civileats.com/2021/01/19/are-some-animal-welfare-labels-humanewashing/ Daily News and Commentary About the American Food System Sat, 23 Jan 2021 04:23:37 +0000 hourly 1 https://civileats.com/2021/01/19/are-some-animal-welfare-labels-humanewashing/#comment-189724 Sat, 23 Jan 2021 04:23:37 +0000 http://civileats.com/?p=40093#comment-189724 Check out the movie “At the Fork” on Amazon if you actually want to learn about labeling, GAP practices, and which certifications are meaningful. The labels that are at Whole Foods are a giant step in the right direction with no crates or cages. If you saw what regular non-certified looks like in comparison you’d probably be appalled by the conditions. Also, a larger certifier like GAP with lots of farmers paying dues can afford to visit their suppliers and make sure they are meeting standards regularly. I really appreciate that they allow a farmer to transition away from CAFO style practices incrementally since it’s incredibly expensive to make massive changes to a farming operation. I’d like to point out that when switching to humane farming the yields end up being higher for each step and the animals are a lot less sick so the whole process ends up encouraging the farmer to make continual improvements. The incentives are also there to make a better profit based on the higher GAP Step welfare rating since you can charge more for the product. There’s more than meets the eye here. I agree with the sentiment “Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good!” these animals are living beings that deserve better than the standard CAFO!

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