What is animal welfare? To answer this question, we turn to the experts at A Greener World (AGW), our partner for animal welfare certification on farms and in processing plants. Each year, AGW audits our processing partners as well as our hog and sheep farms to ensure that our animal welfare standards are being upheld. To pass inspection and be certified, they must implement systems that are designed to provide animals with 5 essential freedoms, including:

Freedom from: hunger & thirst, discomfort, pain & injury, disease, fear & distress, and

Freedom to: express normal behaviors

Not only are these freedoms essential to animal welfare but they are closely tied to meat quality. For example, an animal that is stressed prior to slaughter may yield meat that is discolored or has an unappetizing texture. Preventing stress is about creating systems that take into account animal behavior and preferences. Animals are not humans so its important to design production, hauling, and slaughter systems that take into account the different ways that animals perceive the world around them.*

We are grateful to A Greener World for providing us with standards and auditing systems that ensure our supply chain partners are honoring the 5 freedoms and making animals feel cared for and safe.

* If you’re interested in learning more about animal perception, we recommend watching the HBO film, Temple Grandin, which documents this extraordinary woman and the massive, positive impact she’s had on the slaughter industry in the U.S.