Cruelty. noun. cru·​el·​ty | \ˈkrü(-ə)l-tē \ Inhumane treatment.

This is a delicate subject, so I’m going to proceed with caution. 

Some people simply won’t give up eating meat. And that’s just life. So, for those who are non-meaters and are immensely concerned with the inhumane treatment of animals, rather than shaming people for eating meat, I suggest we encourage people to look for brands that don’t support factory farming’s horrifying reality. 

Factory farming is the unsustainable practice of raising animals for food that concentrates large numbers of animals into confined spaces. Factory farms are not compatible with safe and humane environments or methods. 

It is cruel and inhumane. 

Minimal adjustments can be made to your daily grocery shopping routine that could help stop this inhumane practice by choosing more ethical and cruelty-free options. It’s really that simple.

The Global Animal Partnership is a step process from 1 to 5, and a Whole certification Foods uses for all their meat. You want to look for steps 4 or 5 because those steps mean the animals had access to pasture and graze.

According to Well + Good, a wellness publication, the deputy director of the food and agriculture program of Friends of the Earth and a leading expert in animal agriculture, climate change, and farmer support, Kari Hamerschlag, says there are THREE labels to look for:

• USDA organic: 

“Organic means the animal was born and raised on certified organic pastures, so there are no chemicals.”

• Grass-fed: 

“This means that the animals ate grass as opposed to feeding, which leads to a more nutrient-rich meat.”

• Certified Humane: 

“The animals were treated ethically from birth to death, with regular access to food, water, and the outdoors and antibiotics only being used when the animal is sick.”

So, next time you’re at your local grocery store, pick out an entree that is both ethical and enticing, for it matters where you spend your money and what you put in your body. 

SSxx