A) Strawberry ice cream

B) Chicken

C) Plastic foam

D) None of the above

Answer below

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One of the hottest trends right now in food marketing is informing consumers that the animal product they are purchasing was derived from an animal that was humanely raised and treated.This includes, dairy, eggs, poultry, beef, pork, and other meats.

Since there is no FDA definition for “humane”, each processor is free to associate this and similar terms with its products. As a result, factory farms have magically become animal friendly. And “no antibiotics” conjures an idealic Garden of Eden for bovines. The truth, of course, is far from that.

What’s an ethical shopper, or one attempting to lessen the plight of lower beings, to do?

What you need to know:

Luckily the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has information to help you make decisions. Their website categorizes the various humane labels based on their REAL humaneness, not marketing. While “cage free” eggs are a good option, this label does not mean the chickens were free range. Also, it is not verified by a third party.  A better option is “Certified Organic”.  The best labels are the following:

“Certified Humane” (dairy, eggs, chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, pork)
“American Humane Certified” (dairy, eggs, chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, pork)
“Animal Welfare Approved” (dairy, eggs, chicken, turkey, duck, goose, beef, lamb, pork, rabbit)

In addition, WSPA publishes an annual report, where they rank the top grocers based on animal friendly products. Whole Foods is the leader, but Publix,  Kroger, and Hy-Vee have a good showing as well.

WSPA even put together a helpful FAQs Page.

What to do at the supermarket:

Unfortunately for consumers and animals, humane foods tend to cost more, especially the organic variety. For many people there is a clash between the will to eat more humanely and their pocketbooks. Each family should decide what works best for them, but at least you should be informed about what you are or aren’t getting.

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David Brancaccio of PBS’s Now show interviewed filmmaker Robert Kenner, the director of “Food, Inc.” a few days ago. The movie takes a very critical look at the modern food industry and helps viewers better understand why supermarket fare for the most part is crap, and why 67% of Americans are obese or overweight. The full interview is 24 minutes long. Here are some good tidbits:

1. 90% of supermarket food has corn or soy products in it. (That’s because soy and corn are subsidized by the government, making them cheap to produce).

2. Fast food chains were the original drivers of the industrialization of food. McDonald’s is and has been for years the largest buyer of ground beef, pork, chicken, potatoes, and tomatoes in the US. And it will only work with suppliers than can provide a steady, uniform, reliable product 24/7/365. Real food doesn’t work like that

3. Candy and Soda are cheaper than fresh fruit and vegetables. What do you think poor people will choose to eat?

4. Food industry claims that consumers should show personal responsibility when choosing what to eat are insidious.

5. Food has not gotten safer over the years. Not if a single burger can have meat from one thousand cows in it.

6. Really sad – the federal government does not have the right to recall contaminated meat off of supermarket shelves.

7. A ray of light – consumers, through personal preference, convinced Wal-Mart to switch to milk from cows who did not receive growth hormones.

8. Watch out for “food libel laws” – Industry will sue you if you don’t talk nice about food products. Example: Oprah Winfrey was engaged in a lengthy legal battle with the meat industry for saying she’d consider abstaining from burgers at the height of the mad cow scare a decade ago.

9. The legal fees for the movie were 3 times higher than all his previous films combined.

What to do at the supermarket:

Your choices are what ultimately fuel the food industry. By buying unprocessed foods, mostly from the supermarket perimeter, you will avoid many of the pitfalls of modern industrialized food-like substances.

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Food Label. Source: FDA

Ever since the FDA’s Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) was enacted in the early 1990’s, food package labels have been a battleground between the food industry and consumer interest groups. While the former try to limit the disclosures, the latter want more information to be available to the public.

In 2004, Congress has required food manufacturers to clearly state whether a product contains any of the eight most common food allergens, in simple English, for example “This product contains Milk”, not whey or casein. In 2005, companies were required to start labeling fish and shellfish .

The latest round in the battle for more information revolves around COOL – Country of Origin Labeling. The USDA believes people want to know where their beef comes from, especially when third world countries with less food safety regulations are involved. But food industry representatives have been claiming that this kind of information system is too costly and difficult to implement.

Here’s the story from CNNMoney:

Under the federal mandate, supermarkets, large grocery stores and wholesale clubs must let consumers know where staples like beef, chicken, pork, lamb, vegetables and fruit come from. The law, part of the 2008 Farm Bill passed this summer, takes effect at the end of next month. more..

What you need to know:

If you prefer to support US farmers, or are worried about the safety level of foods coming from other countries, or think that flying fruit over from Chile is a environmentally wrong, the COOL label can help you make a more informed decision.

What to look for at the Supermarket:

Starting in October, look for the new information, either printed on the food label or added as a sticker.