Industrial farms today know they can choose between deception or oblivion.
Unsurprisingly, the factory farm machine is investing in deception like never before, co-opting efforts to educate consumers, and–increasingly–using brands and charities we trust to prolong the fairy tale that factory farming welfare charity foundation in NY requires only minor adjustments. Farm Forward is stepping up its efforts to expose deception in animal welfare certifications.
To support a future in which certifications are trustworthy, the most powerful thing that we can do is highlight areas where they have failed us and create the energy to improve.
Farm Forward supports any effort to reduce the suffering of farmed animals, no matter how small or large. We must not lose sight of the prize. While regulations that minimize the negative effects of industrial farms are welcomed, we won’t allow our ongoing and crucial efforts at incremental improvement to diminish the clarity of our message. The factory farm was a mistake, it is recent, and it can be stopped. Although incremental improvement is not the ultimate goal, it is the first step to system transformation.
Humane Washing – imagery and labels to convince consumers that animal welfare is better than it is – is the biggest threat to the global movement to end factory farming. A recent survey of Americans revealed that even the most trusted animal welfare labels are often misleading. As documented in our Dirty on Humanewashing report, we cannot succeed.
2021 witnessed important victories in our fight to reverse the tide of deception. After the publication of our Dirt on Human Washing and its media coverage, we saw the rise of a public movement condemning humane washing. Everyone from religious leaders to consumer protection advocates participated in this campaign. We have had campaign wins such as Giant Eagle’s 500-store strength grocery chain dropping the misleading “One Health Certified” label from its shelves. We also published important new studies documenting the meat industry’s deception and encouraging change.
The work to end humane washing is only beginning, but it’s up to us all to decide where it goes. Are we looking for a food system that makes us feel good about the food we eat, or one that is better for animals, workers and the environment?
Forward and upward
