“We will be supplying our stores with more products from producers that are Certified Humane’ ” by the nonprofit Humane Farm Animal Care in Herndon, Va., said Tom Heinen, co-president of the 16-store chain based in Warrensville Heights. Heinen’s is announcing the commitment today.
“Certified Humane” means the animals were raised “with enough space to express their natural behaviors,” said Adele Douglass, executive director of HFAC. That means chickens don’t grow up in cages, pigs aren’t confined to tiny stalls and cattle aren’t injected with antibiotics and growth hormones.
Animals receive a nutritious diet and aren’t force-fed things they wouldn’t ordinarily eat. They also receive shelter, have access to clean water, and when they are slaughtered, “there’s no electric prods or stuff like that,” Douglass said.
Tom Heinen, a grandson of the company’s founder, Joe Heinen, said the idea is not to ask people to give up meat.
Rather, “We believe in treating everyone fairly and with respect, and this extends to the animals that supply the food we select for our customers,” he said. “With the Certified Humane program, there is the added assurance of a third party that sets high standards for the humane treatment of farm animals.”
Humane Farm Animal Care’s standards were developed by animal scientists and farm animal welfare experts. HFAC inspectors conduct annual audits to make sure producers continue to abide by the rules.
“The reason we created this program was to change the way animals are raised in the United States,” by encouraging more supermarkets to ask for Certified Humane products, Douglass said.
Heinen’s Own Chicken is already Certified Humane, as are its Applegate Farms deli meats. And while Heinen’s Own Beef comes from ranches that don’t use hormones or antibiotics, that program is not yet Certified Humane. Douglass said the only other supermarket chain that has gone as far as Heinen’s is D’Agostino’s, with 25 stores in the New York City area.
Heinen said HFAC’s goals aligned perfectly with his company’s insistence on knowing where its food comes from. “That’s what we’re all about, the best quality food,” he said.
Humane Farm Animal Care’s program has been endorsed by the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that works to rebuild local and regional farming.
Joan and Bob Hall’s Blue Hen Family Farm in Brecksville, which participates in the Countryside program, this week became the first Ohio food producer to receive Certified Humane status. The label will be used on the farm’s eggs.
The Plain Dealer: Heinen’s Supports Gentler Farming
Posted: November 16, 2006 by Certified Humane
“We will be supplying our stores with more products from producers that are Certified Humane’ ” by the nonprofit Humane Farm Animal Care in Herndon, Va., said Tom Heinen, co-president of the 16-store chain based in Warrensville Heights. Heinen’s is announcing the commitment today.
“Certified Humane” means the animals were raised “with enough space to express their natural behaviors,” said Adele Douglass, executive director of HFAC. That means chickens don’t grow up in cages, pigs aren’t confined to tiny stalls and cattle aren’t injected with antibiotics and growth hormones.
Animals receive a nutritious diet and aren’t force-fed things they wouldn’t ordinarily eat. They also receive shelter, have access to clean water, and when they are slaughtered, “there’s no electric prods or stuff like that,” Douglass said.
Tom Heinen, a grandson of the company’s founder, Joe Heinen, said the idea is not to ask people to give up meat.
Rather, “We believe in treating everyone fairly and with respect, and this extends to the animals that supply the food we select for our customers,” he said. “With the Certified Humane program, there is the added assurance of a third party that sets high standards for the humane treatment of farm animals.”
Humane Farm Animal Care’s standards were developed by animal scientists and farm animal welfare experts. HFAC inspectors conduct annual audits to make sure producers continue to abide by the rules.
“The reason we created this program was to change the way animals are raised in the United States,” by encouraging more supermarkets to ask for Certified Humane products, Douglass said.
Heinen’s Own Chicken is already Certified Humane, as are its Applegate Farms deli meats. And while Heinen’s Own Beef comes from ranches that don’t use hormones or antibiotics, that program is not yet Certified Humane. Douglass said the only other supermarket chain that has gone as far as Heinen’s is D’Agostino’s, with 25 stores in the New York City area.
Heinen said HFAC’s goals aligned perfectly with his company’s insistence on knowing where its food comes from. “That’s what we’re all about, the best quality food,” he said.
Humane Farm Animal Care’s program has been endorsed by the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that works to rebuild local and regional farming.
Joan and Bob Hall’s Blue Hen Family Farm in Brecksville, which participates in the Countryside program, this week became the first Ohio food producer to receive Certified Humane status. The label will be used on the farm’s eggs.
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