Poultry and Meat Industry Food Labels: What are they actually telling us?

Image credit: Carol M. Highsmith

Walking through the grocery store, you're surrounded by promises. Words like "Cage-free," "Natural," "Sustainable," and "Humane," appear across packaging in cheerful fonts next to drawings of animals grazing in never-ending green hills. When trying to make the right choice on which product to purchase, these labels should inform our decisions. The uncomfortable truth is that these claims can be misleading and hide the realities of where our dairy, meat, and other animal products come from. Therefore it is important to understand what these labels and certifications actually validate. Whether you hope to support animal welfare, environmental sustainability, or fair labor practices, being informed will allow you to make the choice that aligns your purchasing power with your values.

A study conducted on American Consumer found that 89% of participants purchase products with labels like “natural”, “humane”, “grass-fed”, “farm-raised,” or “cage-free” believing they represent higher animal welfare standards. Unfortunately, this belief is often based on what researchers call "imperfect information." These are misleading or vague claims that sound ethical but lack substance. If we want to shop in ways that genuinely reflect our values and morals, we need to understand the difference between empty marketing and meaningful certifications.

The Illusion of "Natural" and Other Meaningless Terms

The word "natural" is plastered across everything from chicken breasts to yogurt containers. While it sounds wholesome, there is a big hole in using this term. "Natural" has no standardized legal definition when it comes to animal products. In fact, as humans we often have difficulty distinguishing where the idea of the natural world starts and the non-natural world ends. Labeling something “natural” tells you nothing about how the animal was raised, what it was fed, or what conditions it lived in. This means any product with this label could still come from factory farms, which are manufacturing farms that raise livestock in such densely populated environments that animals can’t even move and become so stressed it impacts their immune systems. 

Similarly, 'cage-free' sounds like a significant improvement for chickens. For egg-laying hens, who are often kept in battery cages in conventional operations, it does represent some improvement. However, for chickens raised for meat, who are already typically raised without cages, the label is meaningless. More importantly, 'cage-free' doesn't guarantee outdoor access, adequate space, humane treatment, or a healthy food source. Chickens labeled 'cage-free' may still be packed into crowded barns with thousands of other birds, never seeing daylight.

"Sustainable" is another term that has been stretched beyond recognition. Without third-party verification, companies can define sustainability however they choose. Does it refer to environmental practices? Animal welfare? Economic viability for farmers? Without specific standards, it's impossible to know.

These vague terms aren't accidents. They're strategic. They allow companies to capitalize on consumer desire to make ethical choices without actually changing their practices in meaningful ways.

Is “Organic” Worth It?

Unlike the empty claims above, "organic" is a regulated term with specific standards enforced by the USDA. At the baseline, to be organic farmers have to certify that animals have access to the outdoors, are fed organic feed without synthetic pesticides or GMOs, and are not given unnecessary antibiotics or growth hormones.

While organic standards require outdoor access for all animals, the quality of that access varies dramatically. Cows must have genuine pasture access for grazing. However, for chickens and pigs, ‘outdoor access’ can mean as little as a small concrete porch or dirt lot. Many organic chickens and pigs may barely have access to the outdoors. Their living conditions can look surprisingly similar to conventional operations. While farmers are required to give a defined “adequate” space for animals, depending on the species, many farms get away with practices that are nearly indistinguishable from factory farms.

The most beneficial aspect of organic animal products is that they require animals to receive organic feed. The environmental benefits from organic farming are well-documented and show a significant increase in biodiversity and ecosystem services compared to conventional operations. Organic practices promote soil health, reduce pollution from synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and support long-term sustainability of food production. These are meaningful differences that make organic certification worth seeking out, even if it comes with a higher price tag.

That price difference exists because organic farming is more labor-intensive and has lower yields than conventional agriculture. You're paying for environmental stewardship and stricter animal welfare standards, which represents a real trade-off, not just marketing.

Yet, We Can do Better: Third-Party Certifications

If you want to ensure your purchases genuinely support better practices, look for third-party audited certifications. These programs have specific, enforceable standards and conduct regular inspections. Here are the key ones to know:

Certified Humane sets comprehensive standards for animal welfare covering space requirements, environmental enrichment, humane slaughter, and prohibition of growth-promoting antibiotics. Animals must have adequate space to perform natural behaviors, and the standards are specific to each species. Their standards are informed by scientific research, veterinary advice, and farmer's experiences and include requirements for how food and water are available to animals, what is in them, and how fresh they are. The specifics of buildings, facilities, air quality, cleanliness, water sources, continual outdoor access, and area per animal, all depending on the animal species and product type. Knowledgeable inspectors check in with these standards every 15 months, informing farmers of improvements and enforce that these standards are met and that this label can be trusted. 

However, Certified Humane still allows some farming practices that might not align with the highest of ethical standards, but are seen as necessary for farming practices. For example, they allow some beak trimming in hens to reduce aggression and cannibalistic behaviors. They also allow for painful procedures such as dehorning and castration in calves without pain management to reduce aggression against humans and other animals. They deem these practices “necessary husbandry procedure” and require that farmers must be aware of these welfare issues and knowledgeable of how to handle these practices. Certified Humane discusses these ethical nuisances and informs both their consumers and farmers on these topics. While this certification might not be perfect, they do ensure a higher standard and that both their certification and farmers are trustworthy in their pursuit for bettering animal and environmental health.

Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World (ABW) is considered one of the strictest certifications available. It sets the highest standards for farm animal welfare and environmental sustainability across the globe. Unlike Certified Humane, the Animal Welfare Approved certification regulates all the same standards but additionally requires animals to be raised on pasture or range for their entire lives. This compares to other standards that simply require "access" to outdoors. It prohibits routine mutilations and mandates lower stocking densities than other programs. This label can only be awarded to independent farmers who are annually inspected. They specifically prohibit physical alteration of poultry, including beak trimming, and very clearly state what methods for calf and cattle castration are prohibited. While cow horns may be tipped as long as the living tissue inside the horn is not being cut, dehorning is strictly prohibited. Animal Welfare Approved takes the extra step in certifying animal welfare and environmental health. 

The Ethics of Informed Choice and Moving Forward

Understanding food labels isn't just about making informed purchases, it's about recognizing our role in systems that affect billions of animals, workers, and ecosystems. Our wallets hold the power to support our beliefs and our values. Every purchase represents an ethical choice, whether we are conscious of it or not. When companies exploit our desire to do good through misleading labels, they undermine our ability to act on our values. By learning to distinguish between empty marketing and meaningful certifications, we reclaim our power as ethical consumers.

While individual consumer choices are crucial to transitioning to a more ethical and sustainable food supply chain, there are things you can do that might have an even larger impact because of their multiplying effect. 

Consider these possibilities: donate to a non profit news organization that regularly reports on food supply sustainability issues and larger environmental news like Inside Climate News and  Grist. Donate, volunteer, or get involved with these certification organizations so that their work can continue. Get involved with Animal Welfare Approved’s mother organization or take action to support certified humane’s mission. When faced with any system that we desire to change, it is important to make individual choices that align with our ethical responsibilities but also to make financial contributions or donate volunteer hours to organizations fighting for systemic change.