Where to buy cruelty free meat

There are two major problems within the wider poultry farming industry: the breeding and raising of chickens on an industrial scale, and the agricultural practices that are implemented to feed all these birds and keep the enormous supply chain moving. They get sick, of course, because living conditions are often dismal and unclean, which brings up another set of moral issues often employed by animal rights groups.

Farming practices enacted to grow feed for chickens and other animals is the more underreported problem plaguing both the industry and the planet. Due to the unprecedented yet self-imposed demand for so much cheap chicken roughly 50 billion chickens per year industrial agriculture practices must be employed.

That translates to more chemicals, pesticides, fertilizer, and genetically modified crops. Not only does this impact the health of the crops which are then fed to the birds and, in turn, to us, but soil health deteriorates and the entire system becomes more and more polluted each year. I, like many, reached a tipping point after taking a somewhat dystopian dive into the shady chicken farming and breeding practices, deciding the least I could do was investigate options for poultry that existed outside of the traditional factory-farm apparatus.

There are a slew of options for buying and eating better birds and they might be more affordable than you think. Matt Wadiak, former Blue Apron COO, recently launched Cooks Venture , a company and farm that raises, slaughters, and sells heirloom poultry using humane breeding and raising practices but also—and just as importantly—employs regenerative farming to keep soil health intact and limit the overall impact poultry farming has on climate change.

Cooks Venture heirloom chickens are raised on quality feed, air-chilled, pasture-raised with unrestricted access to the outdoors, and Animal Welfare Certified—the last of which is a rather important and rigorous label to earn more on that in a minute.

Cooks Venture , along with other humane and sustainable poultry farms, is up against massive systemic and societal obstacles, including deep poultry lobby roots with even deeper pockets to influence regulatory policy. But also highly ingrained consumer habits that have adapted to the cheapening of chicken and poultry.

Over the years meat, and specifically poultry, has become comparatively cheaper and cheaper via factory farming and is in no way keeping up with general inflation.

Something has to bear the brunt of such inexpensive poultry and it very well may be you and your health. Sifting through the labels and terminology when buying meat and poultry can be tricky.

These first two labels signify some of the most rigorous standards and are the best indicators you are getting a humanely raised poultry product. Standards extend to transport and slaughter too, and compliance is assured by independent on-farm auditing. But it's not true now. Because it turns out that it's not impossible to create a meat industry that doesn't rest on the unspeakable.

Temple Grandin, the pioneering animal-behavior scientist, has done more with her minimal-stress slaughterhouse designs to benefit livestock animals than all the vegetarians who ever lived.

More and more meat producers have adopted her techniques, but they're just a start. As she has said in her books and appearances over and over again, it's not just a question of building a stress-free path for animals going to slaughter; there needs to be constant and vigorous oversight of employees to prevent cruel treatment from happening.

The companies that do things the right way should be rewarded by our eating their wonderful roasts and chops and cured breakfast-meat products. The ones that don't should be shunned.

Once they feel the sting, they'll turn their practices around. I hope. In the meantime, I do what I can. I buy cage-free eggs at the supermarket. I cook meat at home made by producers I trust. I don't approach companies like Smithfield or Tyson to sponsor my meat events. I would support any politician, of either party, who stood up for expanding the USDA's role so that it included at least cursory inspections of all farms where animals are raised for food. Note: If you have questions about a particular brand, I might be able to help you.

Email info humaneitarian. Grass-fed animals eat grass for most of their lives - unlike most industrially raised animals, which are fed grain. Otherwise, grass-fed means the animals were also fed grain for a portion of their lives.

How does this benefit animals? Ruminants evolved to eat grass. Grain creates an acidic environment in their stomachs, often leading to digestive troubles and the need for antibiotic treatment. Also: grass-fed animals tend to be kept on pasture for the grazing season, allowing them to roam freely and engage in natural behaviors with fellow animals. And: the benefits of grass-fed meat to humans and the environment are numerous.

Look for a "pasture-raised" label. Pasture-raised animals live primarily on fields or in woods, where they eat grass, plants, or shrubs. A farmer might add grain to their diet, but the emphasis is on where the animal lived, not what it ate. Animals on pasture are like schoolkids on a playground: they have room to roam, fresh air and sunshine, and the company of other animals.

They eat what they evolved to eat, lessening the chance of illness. And if a farmer is managing her grassland well, the chance of health problems for animals is reduced. Pasturing is currently experiencing a rennaissance in America and there's lots of info about how it benefits animals. Look for a "free-range" label.

This label is primarily used on poultry products. Free-range chickens and turkeys are raised in barns and given access to the outdoors. How much time they actually spend out there, and whether the outdoor area is pasture, concrete, or bare ground, varies from farm to farm. Indoor conditions might also vary. You can't be sure how a farm or company defines "free-range" unless you dig deeper.

How this benefits animals: These birds have more access to fresh air and roaming space than indoor-only birds. If they have well-managed pasture, they can eat the seeds, worms, bugs, and vegetation that they evolved to eat. We would need extensive regulations and enforcement to maintain high animal welfare throughout the industry. This would include the expenses of regular independent inspections and livestreamed security footage at all facilities. Consumers or taxpayers would also need to pay for direct costs such as more space per animal, an army of veterinarians and medical supplies for sick animals, and a reversion of the artificial breeding that has made animals grow meat and produce milk and eggs at ultra-fast rates.

The fact is that when we use animals as raw materials or labor in the food system this inevitably leads to mass cruelty because cheap prices and profits will always come before their welfare. This means we need to take a position against animal farming. There's no such thing as humane meat or eggs. Stop kidding yourself. A Leghorn chicken in California. Photograph: Allen J. Jacy Reese. Fri 16 Nov Reuse this content.