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Animal Welfare

 
August 29, 2024
By Andrew deCoriolis

Farm Forward Calls out the USDA Conspiring with Meat Companies to Humanewash with False “Antibiotic-Free” Labels

A USDA testing program finds that at least 20 percent of tested cattle samples labeled “raised without antibiotics” or “no antibiotics ever” tested positive for antibiotics. USDA buries findings and reports no punitive action.

 
August 15, 2024
By Andrew deCoriolis

“One Health” Policies Fail to Address the Root Cause of Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial Resistance is an increasing threat to human and animal health. Solving the problem requires significant reforms to agricultural policy and industrial animal farming practices. Yet, the largest international One Health programs largely fail to acknowledge industrial animal farming as a key threat to the One Health mission.

 
June 19, 2024
By Andrew deCoriolis

Bird Flu Outbreak and USDA’s Failure to Prioritize Prevention

Even as the seriousness of the bird flu outbreak increases, the government refuses to address the underlying cause: factory farming.

 
May 30, 2024
By Farm Forward

Press Release: New evidence of animal abuse by Alexandre Farm

Pressure is building on Alexandre Farm a month after the release of Farm Forward’s investigation into their harmful dairy farming practices as new alarming photos and videos emerge.

 
May 23, 2024
By Andrew deCoriolis

Alexandre Continues to Abuse and Neglect: New Videos Released  

Alexandre’s abuses and deceptions have continued well into 2024, with no sign of abating.

 
April 22, 2024
By Rev. John Millspaugh

Alexandre’s Humanewashing: The Ripple Effect

Our investigation of fraud, deception, and animal welfare abuses at Alexandre Family Farm (Alexandre) revealed that Alexandre’s national reputation for high animal welfare is largely a mirage. It is highly likely that milk sold across the country—including in products like toddler formula and ice cream—came from abused, neglected, and mistreated cows who were allowed to linger in their suffering.

 
April 11, 2024
By Farm Forward

Timeline of Alexandre Dairy Investigation

The timeline of our recent investigation into Alexandre dairy.

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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.

 
January 1, 2023
By Farm Forward

Dairy is Udderly Suspect

From the Jewish Initiative for Animals’ Is This Kosher? campaign—while the dairy source of our shepherd ancestors came primarily from small-scale herds of goats and sheep, most Jews now consume the most widely available commercial products from industrial dairies.

 
January 1, 2023
By Farm Forward

The Discomfort of Chicken Soup

From the Jewish Initiative for Animals’ Is This Kosher? campaign—chickens have lived with Jewish communities for millennia, domesticated 4,000–10,000 years ago. Historically, however, chicken was never consumed in the quantities most people in the industrialized world eat today.

 
January 1, 2023
By Farm Forward

Is This Kosher?

For centuries, the question of what’s “fit” for Jewish communities has guided our daily actions and reflected our religious identities and moral values.

 
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.

 
January 22, 2022
By Farm Forward

New Research Shows Shoppers Mistakenly Believe Kosher is Better for Animals

The data confirms what JIFA has inferred from previous research that shows people think kosher food is inherently better: consumers, both Jewish and non-Jewish, extend this belief to the way farmed animals are bred and raised, despite the fact virtually all kosher and non-kosher meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs come from animal raised on factory farms.

 
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.

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