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What do those labels you see on animal products really mean? Get the story behind the labels.

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Animal Welfare

 
December 4, 2023
By Rev. John Millspaugh

Introducing the EFFECTIVE Food Procurement Act

In anticipation of the 2024 Farm Bill, we are proud to play a part in introducing new federal legislation that would leverage billions of dollars of food spending by USDA to help build a more just, healthy, and sustainable food system.

 

 
November 6, 2023
By Rev. John Millspaugh

CDC and HHS Must Address Zoonotic Disease Threats Posed by Factory Farms

Farm Forward submitted a comment to the CDC and HHS we consider critical for addressing zoonotic disease and public health preparedness: factory farming creates perfect petri dishes for endemic and emergent zoonotic diseases. Deintensifying existing poultry and pig farming—while placing a moratorium on new factory farm construction—is the public health measure that would most dramatically reduce the risk of the next pandemic virus. 

 

 
September 5, 2023
By Farm Forward

New Food Purchasing Standards Will Reduce Meat, Improve Animal Welfare

The Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) recently released Version 3.0 of its standards for food service institutions, which include important changes for animal welfare and meat reduction.

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Animal Welfare
 
August 25, 2023
By Trevor McCarty

Farm Forward Survey: humanewashing erodes consumer trust

This year, we partnered with the research firm Data for Progress to test some of our hypotheses about consumer understandings of everything from “pasture raised” to Global Animal Partnership’s “Animal Welfare Certified” label.

 
May 22, 2023
By Farm Forward

Is Costco chicken good for you? What’s in it?

Why has Costco kept its price for rotisserie chickens at $4.99 since they were first sold in 2009, despite inflation? Costco knows that cheap chicken helps to bring customers through the door, who then spend money on other products with greater profit margins. Costco capitalizes on this trend by selling rotisserie chickens in the back of the store. However, the low price point comes at a high cost for the welfare of the chickens, the environment, and public health.

 
May 4, 2023
By Farm Forward

What is veal and what animal does it come from?

People who consume dairy may believe they are not encouraging the slaughter of any animals by doing so. But industrial dairy production requires that cows must repeatedly be made pregnant to produce milk, bringing many calves into the world who the industry must either use productively or dispose of. One of the ways to use the male calves born as a “byproduct” of dairy production is to turn them into meat known as veal.

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Animal Welfare
 
April 17, 2023
By Farm Forward

What is foie gras? How is it made and is it cruel?

To call foie gras controversial would be an understatement. To produce foie gras, male ducks and geese are force-fed by poorly paid farm workers several times a day until their livers become fatty and diseased. The resulting pale white meat of the liver is then sold to high-end restaurants for a few wealthy people to enjoy. Few food items are so widely viewed as cruel, or so succinctly capture the dynamics of an inequitable food industry.

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Animal Welfare
 
March 23, 2023
By Dani Sher

How long do chickens live in the wild versus on farms?

Chicken meat is a dietary staple for many millions of people worldwide, and eggs are a standard breakfast for many of us. However, the true cost of these proteins includes the suffering of billions of living beings. This suffering is largely due to intensive breeding programs that prioritize profit over the welfare of chickens, leading to genetic predispositions that plague birds with ill health and short lives.

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Animal Welfare
 
March 13, 2023
By Dani Sher

Broiler chickens: Who are they and how long do they live?

Modern-day chickens raised for meat, called “broilers,” are a far cry from chickens just a few decades ago. They consume less food, grow more quickly, and reach a much larger size. As a result of all the ingenuity and invention that has gone into their genetics, chickens suffer immensely during their short lives, and today’s massive scale of chicken production wreaks havoc on the environment.

 
February 23, 2023
By Farm Forward

Major Victory: NC Ag-gag Law Struck Down

A federal judge struck down North Carolina’s “Ag-gag” law, ruling that several of its provisions are unconstitutional and violate the First Amendment.

 
February 16, 2023
By Dani Sher

Farmed pigs: What are pigs used for and why is it a problem?

Although pigs are recognized as one of the most intelligent species, most pigs are housed by the thousands in crowded conditions with very little to stimulate them mentally.

 
November 16, 2022
By Trevor McCarty

US consumers would be concerned upon learning where meat really comes from

Findings from our recent survey show what American consumers understand about the farmed-animal industry; promising insights, and some troubling beliefs.

 
October 18, 2022
By Dani Sher

Humanewashing by meat companies and leading retailers pushes small farmers out of business

Major corporations cash in on so-called “humane” labels like “antibiotic free”, “natural”, and “organic”, even though their corresponding husbandry practices almost never match consumers’ expectations for animal welfare.

 
May 18, 2022
By Trevor McCarty

You Can Thank This Chicken Industry Trade Group for Big Poultry’s Humanewashing

The National Chicken Council’s response to New York Times enlightening video misses the mark, and on purpose, for these reasons. Learn more.

 
April 6, 2022
By Andrew deCoriolis

More drugs found in “antibiotic-free” meat certified by Global Animal Partnership

Beef certified by Global Animal Partnership (GAP), the animal welfare certification used primarily by Whole Foods Market, was found to contain antibiotic residue despite GAP’s and Whole Foods’ claims that their meat is “antibiotic-free.”

 
April 4, 2022
By Andrew deCoriolis

Farm Forward Finds Drugs in Certified Meat at Whole Foods 

Farm Forward has found a variety of drugs, including an antibiotic, in meat certified as having “no antibiotics, ever” taken from products purchased from Whole Foods store shelves.

 
November 24, 2021
By Farm Forward

Remembering Bernie Rollin 

Bernard Rollin was one of the world’s leading animal ethicists and a fierce advocate for animal welfare.

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Animal Welfare
 
November 9, 2021
By Ben Goldsmith

Think You Can Find a Humanely Raised Turkey at Whole Foods for Thanksgiving? Think Again.

You may be with the majority of Americans who rely too heavily on label claims by meat manufacturers but are we also duped by the certifiers?

 
October 10, 2021
By Dani Sher

Changing Farming

Changing farming takes working with and learning from farmers directly. Internationalizing the fight beyond US borders ensures all farmers everywhere are heard and retain the right to farm according to their values.

 
October 6, 2021
By Dani Sher

Giant Eagle Drops “One Health Certified” Label Amidst Humanewashing Backlash 

Grocery chain Giant Eagle has revealed its plans to phase out all “One Health Certified” (OHC) chicken from its stores.

 
July 18, 2021
By Andrew deCoriolis

Comedian Myq Kaplan Takes on Humanewashing in New Video 

Myq Kaplan of Comedy Central, The Tonight Show, and Letterman fame has narrated a thought-provoking new video to combat false advertising by massive meat, egg, and dairy companies.

 
July 13, 2021
By Farm Forward

Farm Forward Wins Right to Further Pursue Downed Pig Lawsuit Against USDA 

The U.S. District Court ruled that Farm Forward and a coalition of animal and environmental protection organizations have standing to sue the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), regarding regulations at pig slaughterhouses.  

 
June 30, 2021
By Andrew deCoriolis

Global Animal Partnership’s Breed Study Was Designed to Deceive

Global Animal Partnership (GAP) seems dedicated to passing off low welfare standards as the gold standard, thus helping the purveyors of factory farmed products deceive shoppers.

 
June 22, 2021
By Farm Forward

The University of Oxford and Farm Forward Discuss Pandemic Risk and Factory Farming 

While COVID-19 may have emerged from a wet market, the greater pandemic risk is our insatiable appetite for cheap, factory farmed meat.

 
April 21, 2021
By Andrew deCoriolis

Farm Forward Campaign and Ad Blitz Denounce ALDI’s Deceptive New Chicken Label

Farm Forward has kicked off a campaign and ad blitz calling out the meat industry’s latest deceptive marketing scheme, “One Health Certified” (OHC), which now adorns Batavia, Illinois-based ALDI’s store-brand chicken.

 
January 21, 2021
By Farm Forward

Mega-dairy Moratorium Bills Introduced in Oregon State Legislature

Farm Forward supports the mega-dairy moratorium which would allow a pause in the permitting of new and expanding mega-dairies until meaningful protections can be enacted to protect Oregon’s air, water, climate, rural communities, small farmers and animal welfare.

 
October 2, 2020
By Aaron S. Gross, PhD

Why We Resigned from the Board of the Nation’s Largest Animal Welfare Certification 

In April 2020, after more than a decade of service, Farm Forward resigned, in protest, from the board of the nation’s largest legitimate animal welfare certification, Global Animal Partnership or GAP.

 
June 15, 2020
By Andrew deCoriolis

Abuse on dairy farms: Farm Forward responds to Chicago Tribune’s coverage of Fair Oaks Farms 

On June 14th, the Chicago Tribune published an opinion written by Farm Forward’s Executive Director Andrew deCoriolis in response to their coverage of an undercover investigation at Fair Oaks Farm, an industrial dairy operation in Indiana.

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Animal Welfare
 
September 17, 2019
By Farm Forward

USDA Publishes Egregious Final Hog Slaughter Inspection Rule

USDA proposed harmful inspection rules that we have a chance to stop! Learn more about the rules and how you can make a difference here.

 
July 3, 2019
By Rev. John Millspaugh

Marching for All Species

As I strolled along the park’s concrete path, I glanced over to find—gliding alongside me—an orca, a chinook salmon, monarch butterflies, and planet Earth itself.

 
April 12, 2019
By Farm Forward

Oregon Mega-Dairy Reform Bills Die, Threatening Repeat of Lost Valley Disaster

Farm Forward joined a coalition of nearly two dozen farming, consumer, animal welfare, and environmental groups in asking Oregon leaders to put a moratorium on large, commercial dairies.

 
February 28, 2019
By Farm Forward

Tips from Phipps: Leadership Circle’s Newest Member Takes a Forward-Thinking Approach to Help People and the Planet

Earlier this year, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens joined the Leadership Circle by sourcing exclusively certified higher welfare chicken and turkey for their restaurant, Café Phipps.

 
February 8, 2019
By Rev. John Millspaugh

Can our Religious Values Help Fight Climate Change?

Pope Francis was challenged by 12-year-old Genesis Butler to try eating a plant-based diet for Lent, with a promise of a million dollar donation to a charity of his choice should he say yes.

 
January 10, 2019
By Ben Goldsmith

Update: Farm Forward Campaign Spurs International Push to End Cruel, Previously Universal Practice

A first-of-its-kind campaign launched by Farm Forward in 2014 has resulted in the adoption of a new technology that spares day-old chicks from being slaughtered shortly after they hatch.

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