by Sustainable Food News
February 22, 2013
Celebrating its 10th year, Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC), which administers the Certified Humane food labeling program, said Thursday its goal is to have 1 percent of the nation’s 10 billion farm animals raised under its standards by the end of 2014.
The HFAC program standards include a nutritious diet without antibiotics or hormones, animals raised with shelter, resting areas, sufficient space and the ability to engage in natural behaviors.
The Herndon, Va.-based group was founded by Adele Douglass, current CEO of the nonprofit, on Feb. 20, 2003. Just before that, armed with a public policy and legislative background, Douglass sought to put her passion for farm animal welfare into developing a certification and labeling program.
“I wanted to do something for farm animals and didn’t have any idea of what to do,” Douglass said. She took a trip to England to visit the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), the world’s first humane society, to learn about their program.
The RSPCA had written standards for farm animals and had created a separate organization, Freedom Foods, to find farmers who would meet those standards. Problem was, there was only one supermarket chain, Tesco, that sold the products.
“When I looked at that program I realized that if I wanted to change an industry, I couldn’t do it by competing, it had to be a program where everyone in that industry could participate,” Douglass recounted. “I came home and decided to start a certification and labeling program to do just that.”
The three first companies certified were Echo Farm Puddings, Touchstone Farms and duBreton Natural Pork, all which are still certified. Other producers including Prather Ranch Beef, Meyer Natural Angus Beef and Pete and Gerry’s eggs also joined the program in 2003 and are still part of the program.
At the end of 2003, there were 143,000 animals raised under Certified Humane standards.
At the end of 2012, there were 76.8 million farm animals raised under the standards and 94 companies certified – just 23.2 million short of its 2014 goal.
The Certified Humane label is carried in over 7,000 U.S. supermarkets and used by numerous restaurants. In December, HFAC debuted an iPhone and Android app that shows consumers where to buy Certified Humane products.
The Certified Humane designation assures consumers that meat, poultry, egg, or dairy products they purchase have been produced according to HFAC’s standards for humane farm animal treatment. Producer compliance with the HFAC standards is verified through annual on-site visits by HFAC’s third-party inspectors.
sustainablefoodnews.com
Posted: February 25, 2013 by Certified Humane
by Sustainable Food News
February 22, 2013
Celebrating its 10th year, Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC), which administers the Certified Humane food labeling program, said Thursday its goal is to have 1 percent of the nation’s 10 billion farm animals raised under its standards by the end of 2014.
The HFAC program standards include a nutritious diet without antibiotics or hormones, animals raised with shelter, resting areas, sufficient space and the ability to engage in natural behaviors.
The Herndon, Va.-based group was founded by Adele Douglass, current CEO of the nonprofit, on Feb. 20, 2003. Just before that, armed with a public policy and legislative background, Douglass sought to put her passion for farm animal welfare into developing a certification and labeling program.
“I wanted to do something for farm animals and didn’t have any idea of what to do,” Douglass said. She took a trip to England to visit the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), the world’s first humane society, to learn about their program.
The RSPCA had written standards for farm animals and had created a separate organization, Freedom Foods, to find farmers who would meet those standards. Problem was, there was only one supermarket chain, Tesco, that sold the products.
“When I looked at that program I realized that if I wanted to change an industry, I couldn’t do it by competing, it had to be a program where everyone in that industry could participate,” Douglass recounted. “I came home and decided to start a certification and labeling program to do just that.”
The three first companies certified were Echo Farm Puddings, Touchstone Farms and duBreton Natural Pork, all which are still certified. Other producers including Prather Ranch Beef, Meyer Natural Angus Beef and Pete and Gerry’s eggs also joined the program in 2003 and are still part of the program.
At the end of 2003, there were 143,000 animals raised under Certified Humane standards.
At the end of 2012, there were 76.8 million farm animals raised under the standards and 94 companies certified – just 23.2 million short of its 2014 goal.
The Certified Humane label is carried in over 7,000 U.S. supermarkets and used by numerous restaurants. In December, HFAC debuted an iPhone and Android app that shows consumers where to buy Certified Humane products.
The Certified Humane designation assures consumers that meat, poultry, egg, or dairy products they purchase have been produced according to HFAC’s standards for humane farm animal treatment. Producer compliance with the HFAC standards is verified through annual on-site visits by HFAC’s third-party inspectors.
Category: news