Declaration for Healthy Food and Agriculture
I was reflecting on our time at Slow Food Nation and thought we should circle back to the Food Declaration presented there, which encompasses so much of what we believe in as an organization, particularly as related to "preventing the cruel treatment of animals" and enforcing "transparency so that citizens know how their food is produced, where it comes from, and what it contains." The project was Initiated by Roots of Change and developed by a national team of noted…
Greene County, Iowa, Sheriff to Investigate Pig-abuse Video Made by PETA
VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED: VIDEO DEPICTS VIOLENT ACTS AGAINST ANIMALS Yet another case of animal cruelty was exposed yesterday in a video released by the animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Shot by an undercover worker in a conventional confinement house, the video shows multiple workers beating and shocking pigs with electric prods, and jamming rods into sensitive areas. The farm is a supplier for Hormel Foods of Austin, Minnesota. The abusive practices seem to be…
Animal Welfare Approved Featured in Today’s New York Times
Catherine Price wrote an article in today''s New York Times about various claims and labels that consumers find on egg cartons. Once again, Animal Welfare Approved was lauded as having the highest standards for the humane treatment of animals. She writes: "For eggs from chickens that live in the sort of utopia conveyed by the images on most egg cartons, look for "animal welfare approved." Available in limited markets, it is a new label by the Animal Welfare Institute that…
Changing the Way we Eat
"If you want to change the world, change what you eat. Food is one area of your life where small modifications can have a big impact. For one thing, you probably eat three or four meals a day, so any decision you make is multiplied a thousandfold over the course of a year. Second, the industrial food system is so far-reaching that by opting out of it even partly, you can have a positive impact on biodiversity, global warming, oil…
USDA Report on “Small” Chicken Operations
One of our colleagues recently passed along this USDA report on the characteristics of small chicken operations in the U.S. In this case, "small" is defined as a farm housing 1,000 to 19,999 birds. If you don't have time to read the entire report, there is a good summary on The Poultry Site. This report follows two others conducted by the USDA to analyze the United States poultry industry: Layers '99, which focused on risk factors for Salmonella, and Poultry…
