Vegans and vegetarians make up a small but increasing minority of the U.S. population. National polling conducted in 2000 by Zogby for the Vegetarian Resource Group suggested that 2.5% of U.S. adults consider themselves strict vegetarians. This equates to roughly five million people. Many more people are part-time vegetarians or occasionally eat vegetarian meals. Not all vegetarians embrace their chosen diet for animal rights reasons—many have health, environmental, and/or religious reasons instead of or in addition to ethical ones.
There is also growing demand in the United States for meat and other products from animals that are raised or slaughtered using more humane methods. Food suppliers are beginning to make changes that represent significant reforms in animal welfare and slaughter. Some of these changes have no doubt been driven by pressure from vocal animal rights groups. For example, PETA has been conducting aggressive publicity and picketing campaigns against major fast-food chains in the United States, and many fast-food chains are implementing more welfare-friendly policies. Some of these include:
- In 1999 the McDonald's Corporation established new animal welfare principles for its meat suppliers. The company began auditing the handling and slaughtering practices used by its beef suppliers and fired one supplier after it failed the audits. In 2001 the company added guidelines for laying hen suppliers that require more cage space per hen and forbid the practice of forced molting. According to the McDonald's Web site in 2005, the company had nearly 500 audits performed during 2003 covering the majority of facilities that provided meat products to McDonald's.
- The Wendy's Corporation adopted the AMI animal welfare guidelines for beef and pork in 1998 and established an animal welfare council to oversee company animal policies. In 2002 Wendy's began forbidding its egg suppliers to use forced molting to increase egg production. The company also requires that each laying hen have a minimum of seventy-two square inches of cage space. According to Wendy's Web site in 2005, meat suppliers are audited at least twice per year to ensure that welfare requirements are being met.
- Burger King Corporation announced in 2002 that it would begin working with animal industry groups to create uniform standards for the humane handling of its food animals. The company also created an auditing program and began auditing the company's suppliers. According to the company's Web site in 2005, supplier audits were conducted annually from 2002 through 2004. Burger King introduced the BK veggie burger (a vegetarian burger) to its menu in 2002, drawing praise from vegetarians and animal rights groups.
- In May 2003 the KFC Corporation announced plans to adopt new guidelines and auditing procedures for its poultry suppliers. According to the company's Web site in 2005, KFC conducts announced and unannounced audits at the facilities of its broiler suppliers. It does not allow beak trimming of poultry intended for sale in its restaurants.
Animal rights groups claim that all of the welfare incentives implemented by these companies were driven by pressure from animal rights activists. Although the companies deny it, there is no doubt that some animal rights groups (particularly PETA) have conducted aggressive public relations campaigns against them. In 2003 PETA launched a publicity blitz against KFC, calling the company "Kentucky Fried Cruelty" and criticizing it harshly for the treatment of chickens by its suppliers.
In June 2002 the National Council of Chain Restaurants and the Food Marketing Institute published new welfare recommendations for suppliers providing meat products to their members. The two organizations developed the Animal Welfare Audit Program (AWAP) to oversee audits designed to provide objective data regarding animal welfare at livestock production and slaughter facilities. According to information on their Web sites in 2005, the two organizations represent nearly 150,000 stores and restaurants across the country. Although compliance with the welfare guidelines is voluntary, many people believe that it is a hopeful start to true reform in farm animal welfare.
Some farmers have initiated reforms on their own. For example, some smaller hog farms are allowing their sows to farrow in straw-filled huts or barns instead of in gestation crates. Welfare-friendly farming is considered part of a larger movement called organic farming. Organic farming of crops involves no use of pesticides or herbicides. This produces a more natural product that many consumers consider healthier and more environmentally friendly. According to the USDA, organic farming was one of the fastest-growing segments of U.S. agriculture during the 1990s. Retail sales grew from $3.3 billion in 1996 to $7.1 billion in 2001.
Some livestock farmers offer meat and other products from animals cultivated using organic methods. The animals are not given antibiotics or other drugs (except some necessary vaccines) and are housed in more natural conditions than those used in factory farms. The farmers accommodate the animals' natural nutritional and behavior requirements. For example, ruminating animals are given access to pasture.
Farmers are not allowed to label their products as organic unless they meet specific requirements established by the U.S. government in the National Organic Program. The organic standards govern living conditions, access to the outdoors, feed rations, and health-care practices. No growth hormones or genetic engineering are allowed, and the animals are not fed animal byproducts. There are also restrictions on manure management and slaughter procedures. The farmers must provide documentation to the USDA demonstrating that they are following these standards in order to use the organic label.
During the 1990s, organic dairy experienced tremendous growth with sales up over 500% between 1994 and 1999. The market for organic meats has not grown as quickly, but this may be because organic meat labels were not approved until 1999. Organic meat sales accounted for only 3% of total organic sales in 2002. (See Figure 4.16.) The number of certified livestock and poultry increased from 73,010 in 1992 to just over five million in 2001. The 2001 numbers were as follows:
- Beef cows—15,197
- Milk cows—48,677
- Hogs and pigs—3,135
- Sheep and lambs—4,207
- Laying hens—1,611,662
FIGURE 4.16
Certified organic sales, 2002
SOURCE: Adapted from "What Is the Size of the U.S. Market for Organic Foods?" in Organic Farming and Marketing: Questions and Answers, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, June 24, 2003, http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Organic/Questions/orgqa5.htm (accessed March 11, 2005) - Broilers—3,286,456
- Turkeys—98,653
Some animal protection groups have implemented their own programs to define and certify welfare-friendly farming operations. In 2000 the American Humane Association (AHA) established the Free Farmed Certification Program. Producers that want to use the label "Free Farmed" pay a fee to the AHA and must meet specific standards for food and water management, living conditions, and transport, handling, and slaughter techniques. Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) is an independent nonprofit organization that administers the "Certified Humane Raised & Handled" program. HFAC was formed in 2003 by former members of the Free Farmed organization. HFAC programs are funded by various animal welfare organizations, including the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Products are labeled "Certified Humane" if the producers meet specific criteria for animal care that are enforced through an inspection and verification process.
It has also become common for livestock farmers to market products labeled "all natural," "cage-free," "grass-fed," "pasture-raised," "free-range," or "free roaming." Critics say that these labels are marketing ploys and are not clearly defined or verified by regulatory agencies or animal welfare groups. For example, the label "cage-free" has no legally enforceable meaning.
The USDA allows producers to label a product as "all natural" as long as it is "minimally processed and contains no artificial ingredients." However, the label can be applied to meat from animals that received antibiotics and other drugs to promote growth. Producers that market "free range" or "free roaming" chickens are required by the USDA to provide their chickens access to the outside. However, there is no verification process in place to prove this claim. Critics point out that the requirement is satisfied at some chicken houses by including a small door that leads out into a small caged area open to the environment.
The USDA definitions of "free-range," "pasturefed," and "free-roaming" for nonpoultry animals say that the animals must have been allowed to eat grass and live outdoors during at least part of their lives. Animal welfare groups claim that the USDA rarely performs inspections to verify such claims, but relies on the statements of livestock producers.
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