Overview

“The Certified Humane Program created a gold
standard for animal welfare.” – USA Today

Humane Farm Animal Care DBA Certified Humane® is a registered 501(c) 3 nonprofit certification organization, operating internationally and dedicated to improving the lives of farm animals in food production from birth through slaughter. The goal of the program is to improve the lives of farm animals by driving consumer demand for kinder and more responsible farm animal practices. When you see the Certified Humane Raised and Handled® logo you can be assured that the food products have come from facilities that meet precise, objective standards for farm animal treatment. You can find Certified Humane® products in the U.S., Argentina, Australia, the Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Uruguay.

The Certified Humane Raised and Handled® logo assures consumers that:

• The producer meets our Animal Care Standards and applies them to farm animals, from birth through slaughter.
• Animals are never kept in cages, crates, or tie stalls. Animals must be free to do what comes naturally. For example, chickens must be able to flap their wings and dust bathe, and pigs must have space to move around and root.
• Animals must be fed a diet of quality feed, without antibiotics or growth hormones.
• Compliance with the North American Meat Institute Standards (NAMI), a slaughter standard written by Dr. Temple Grandin, a member of HFAC’s Scientific Committee.

HFAC’s Fact Sheets for consumers provide information about specific humane issues as they relate to farm animals covered by the Certified Humane® program.

Our Animal Care Standards were created by a highly-respected scientific committee.

View the Standards
Meet the Staff and the Board
View the members of HFAC’s Scientific Committee

The 40 member Scientific Committee is comprised of animal scientists and veterinarians from the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South America.

The standards are upheld through annual inspections conducted by scientists and veterinarians who are experts on the species they are inspecting. These are third-party independent inspections of all farms, ranches, and slaughter and processing facilities.

The benefit for consumers is that they can buy with confidence.  The meat, poultry, egg and dairy products come from animals who have not received unnecessary antibiotics (one of the main reasons for antibiotic resistance in people) and the animals are not overcrowded in confinement systems, so it is better for the animals, the environment and the farmers who receive a fair price for their efforts.

Humane Farm Animal Care seeks to inspire individuals to be change-makers by asking for humane products to be carried by their preferred local grocer or eatery. This demand motivates retailers, restaurants, and food service companies to find qualifying producers and pay them fairly, and to ask for change from existing suppliers.

A label “you can really trust.” – Good Housekeeping