CBS New York: ‘Certified Humane’ Now A Rallying Cry At Stores

“We’ve got chicken, milk, yogurt, veal, cheese,” said Nick D’Agostino III, ticking off some of the “certified humane” products available at the stores that bear his family’s name.

“We’d like to have everything in the store be certified humane if we could.”

D’Agostino said it’s a trend that’s here to stay. More and more shoppers want to know they are eating products from animals that were raised humanely, and without steroids or antibiotics.

The “certified humane” label at D’Agostino has the blessing of the ASPCA. But other chains use other labels.

“Animal compassionate” is the label soon to appear on meat products at Whole Foods stores. The chain has spent more than a year developing comprehensive guidelines for suppliers who wish to qualify for the program. The guidelines cover everything from how the animals mate, to how the young are raised, and how they are transported to the slaughterhouse.

“I don’t want to eat something that was tortured,” Whole Foods shopper Andrew Croiter said outside the store in White Plains. “I wouldn’t want a human to be tortured, I don’t want an animal to be tortured.”

But being tender to the animals can be tough on the wallet.

At D’Agostino, “certified humane” chicken sells for $7.99 a pound, compared to $2.99 a pound for non-certified.

“Shoppers are looking for the fact the chicken’s been raised differently, no antibiotics, things like that, and they’re willing to pay more for it,” said Nick D’Agostino.

For some shoppers, though, it’s a matter of taste, not conscience.

“In all honesty, it just tastes better,” said Marilyn Fischer, a shopper who bought “certified humane” chicken at D’Agostino. “I’m not as much into ‘humane chicken care’ as what it tastes like. And it tastes good and we all like it.”

D’Agostino said the “certified humane” program helped boost meat sales by 25-percent at the chain’s 20 stores in Manhattan and Westchester County.

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