How to Find Humanely Raised Foods

If you want to know how your grocery store ranks on a scale measuring how well animals are treated, you can use the new World Society for Protection of Animals site, www.eathumane.org.

Twenty-three stores are ranked by the availability of humanely labeled dairy, eggs, unprocessed meat and poultry on their shelves, and detailed survey results let consumers see which stores are best for those criteria they care most about.

"Many people prefer food from humanely raised animals and are willing to pay more for it," said Dena Jones, program manager for fro the society in the U.S. "Finding these products is often challenging because most food for sale in major U.S. supermarkets comes from animals raised in overcrowded, intensely confined, factory-style farms. Even when consumers find humanely labeled products, interpreting what the labels mean in terms of how the animals are treated is a challenge."

Whole Foods scored best, followed by Wegman's. The lowest scores were for Wal-Mart, followed by Stater Bros.

The site also includes helpful definitions and explanations of various labels and certification schemes, including American Humane Certified, Animal Welfare Approved, and Certified Humane labeling programs, and the terms "natural," "free range," "USDA organic," and "cage free."

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