OrganicAuthority.com - Organic Blog » animal welfare

Country Music Star Carrie Underwood Stands Up for Undercover Farm Investigators

Jill Ettinger — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 08:40:36 +0000

Award-winning country music superstar Carrie Underwood has voiced her opposition to Tennessee's "ag-gag" bill, which, if approved by Governor Bill Haslam, will make it the seventh state to adopt the measure.

Deceptive Egg Carton Labeling Lands FDA, USDA and FTC in Federal Court

Jill Ettinger — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 08:43:46 +0000

Two national nonprofits, Animal Legal Defense Fund and Compassion Over Killing, have filed a complaint in a federal district court in Oakland, Calif. against the FDA, USDA, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and Agriculture Marketing Service, and the FTC for failing to regulate animal welfare labeling claims common on egg cartons.

EU Animal Testing Ban Influences Celebrity Action in the U.S.

Jill Ettinger — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 08:19:10 +0000

After the monumental resolution passed by the EU banning the sale of any cosmetic products that have been tested on animals, a campaign initiated by the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International has garnered major celebrity support.

Failed Animal Welfare Widespread in Food Industry, Cites New Report

Jill Ettinger — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 09:58:38 +0000

The health and wellbeing of livestock and industrial farm animals is being largely overlooked by the world's leading food companies, according to a "ground-breaking" report released by UK-based Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare.

A Look Back at 2012′s Biggest Food Trends

Jill Ettinger — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 09:11:32 +0000

They say you can't go forward without first knowing where you've been—and this is perhaps most true in our ever-evolving food system. What were the biggest food trends of 2012? Forbes Magazine chimes in with its assessment.

Chipotle Ups the Ante… Again: Now Serving Pasture-Raised Dairy in All Locations

Jill Ettinger — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 07:00:56 +0000

Chipotle Mexican Grill has announced that effective this month, 100 percent of the fast casual chain's sour cream and 65 percent of the chain's cheese will come from milk made exclusively by pasture-raised cows. To qualify as pasture-raised, every cow has daily access to outdoor pastures, and is never fed any hormones, just a vegetarian, plant-based diet, according to the company.

Righteous Porkchop

Barbara Feiner — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:32:19 +0000

You may recognize Nicolette Hahn Niman’s last name. Her husband, Bill, founded Niman Ranch years before they met, and it has become a leading supplier of natural, humanely raised beef, pork, lamb, and specialty products like bacon and hot dogs. Mrs. Niman served for six years as an environmental attorney for Waterkeeper Alliance, the grassroots advocacy group chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He asked her to take the reins of the organization’s hog campaign, which investigated inhumane treatment of animals at factory farms and the environmental pollutants these operations dump into our land, water and air. In her new book, Righteous Porkchop, Niman compares the humane and inhumane practices she has witnessed at farms. She clearly demonstrates that sustainable meat can be produced cost-effectively and ethically. The book delves beyond Big Pork, examining the importance of choosing sustainable seafood, beef, poultry, dairy and eggs. “Many people assume industrial farming is the only realistic option for producing food these days,” Niman writes. “They are resigned to it as a necessary evil…But the inevitability of industrial animal production is a myth. It’s not inherently more economically efficient than traditional farming, and nothing is unavoidable about it.”

Chickening Out?

Barbara Feiner — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:48:54 +0000

As university researchers study the best ways to house America’s egg-producing hens, numerous organizations have signed on as coalition stakeholders, including the American Humane Association, American Veterinary Medical Association and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. One prominent stakeholder may surprise you: fast-food behemoth McDonald’s, which reaps a nice share of profits each morning from scrambled eggs, Egg McMuffins and egg-based biscuit sandwiches. It sure sounds good on paper: The eggs produced in the study are expected to be used in McDonald’s U.S. restaurants, as researchers strive to determine whether cage-free and free-range chickens fare better than those cooped up in factory farms. Dan Gorsky, McDonald’s senior VP for North America supply chain management, says his company wants to consider “all of the sustainability impacts when it comes to buying eggs—not just animal welfare, but environmental, food safety and economic factors. It is our intention for eggs produced as part of this study, including cage-free eggs, to partially supply McDonald’s USA by 2011.” Some critics, however, believe McDonald’s is dragging its feet in purchasing sustainable eggs. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) notes that numerous national restaurant chains have already gone the cage-free route, including Burger King, Wendy’s, Quiznos, Denny’s, Hardees’s and Carl’s Jr. “There is already an abundance of science demonstrating that battery-cage confinement of laying hens is detrimental to animal welfare, and McDonald's shouldn't use another long-term study as an excuse to delay implementing the same modest reforms so many of its competitors have already adopted,” says Paul Shapiro, senior director of HSUS’ factory farming campaign. HSUS is encouraging mainstream and organic consumers to call (800) 244-6227 to urge McDonald’s to switch to cage-free eggs now. Photo courtesy of McDonald’s

A Better Life for America’s Hens?

Barbara Feiner — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:05:50 +0000

Researchers at Michigan State University and the University of California, Davis, are leading a national study of housing alternatives for egg-laying hens. Scientists will analyze tens of thousands of hens to determine how different housing environments affect animal health and well-being, safe and affordable food, the environment and worker welfare. Researchers will look at cage-free, free-range and “enriched” (nests and perches) housing. As organic consumers already know, any of these alternatives is preferable to factory farms. “The coalition anticipates a multiyear study to factor in seasonal shifts, bird life cycles and other factors,” says Janice Swanson, PhD, a professor of animal behavior and welfare at Michigan State.