Issue Type: Farm Animals

Farm animals

Paulicéia to serve 100 percent plant-based foods on Mondays, improving environmental footprint and student health

Humane Society International

The city of Paulicéia in Brazil’s São Paulo state, in partnership with Humane Society International, has joined the global Meatless Monday movement, committing to offering exclusively plant-based meals at all its public schools one day a week. This program will impact approximately 120,000 meals a year.

Meatless Mondays is a popular global movement that asks people to leave meat off their plates just one day a week, on Mondays, as a way to help the planet, their health and animals. Studies show that animal production is a key contributor to climate change, deforestation, water pollution and water use. In addition, most animals raised for food spend their days in factory farms where their treatment and living conditions are largely inhumane. Studies also show that eating more healthy plant based foods can help prevent chronic diseases like obesity and heart disease.

HSI worked with Paulicéia on the implementation of its Meatless Monday program through workshops and plant-based culinary trainings for school cooks.

Paulicéia Mayor Ermes da Silva said: “We are very happy to adopt the Meatless Monday campaign with Humane Society International. Providing our city’s children with plant-based meals will allow for a future of healthy adults.”

Sandra Lopes, food policy manager for HSI in Brazil, stated: “We’re thrilled to work with Paulicéia on the adoption of Meatless Monday. In addition to the numerous benefits for our health, eating more plant-based foods is also one of the most effective ways we can help environment, including saving water resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as reducing animal suffering. We look forward to working with more school districts on similar programs.”

Millions of people and thousands of schools, hospitals and restaurants in Brazil and around the globe have adopted Meatless Monday.

A growing number of institutions in Brazil, including the Brazilian Ministry of Health and USP’s School of Public Health, are recognizing that a reduction in meat consumption is necessary to help animals, the environment and our health. In its 2014 Dietary Guidelines, the Brazilian Ministry of Health recommended that meat consumption be limited to reduce the risk of obestiy, heart disease and other chronic diseases in people, and to lessen stress on the environment and animals. In this same report, the Ministry stated: “Opting to consume various types of plant-based foods and a limited consumption of animal products indirectly results in a food system that is more just and less stressful (detrimental) on the environment, animals and biodiversity in general”.

HSI promotes humane eating- or the 3 R’s: “reducing” or “replacing” consumption of animal products, and “refining” our diets by choosing products from sources that adhere to higher animal welfare standards.

Facts:

  • The São Paulo city school district also participates in Meatless Monday, serving more than half a million plant-based meals every two weeks.
  • According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, animal agriculture is one of the greatest contributors to the most serious environmental issues, like global warming, and is a major consumer of scarce water resources. For example, in terms of protein, the water footprint is six times bigger for beef, and one and a half times larger for chicken, eggs and milk, than it is for legumes.
  • Choosing plant-based foods helps our health. Many of the chronic diseases plaguing the world, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, can be prevented, treated and, in some cases, even reversed with a plant-based diet.
  • Brazil is currently facing a new obesity and overweight epidemic, which is affecting 60 percent of the population, including children. One in three Brazilian children between the ages of 5 and 9 are obese or overwheight and face health risks as a result.
  • Meatless Monday also reduces animal suffering. Tens of millions of animals in food production in Brazil, like egg-laying hens and breeding sows, are intensively confined and spend their whole lives in cages so small they can barely even move.

Hotel leader becomes the first Colombian chain to adopt this animal welfare commitment

Humane Society International

Hoteles ESTELAR announced its commitment to switch to a 100 percent cage-free egg (liquid and shell) supply chain by 2022. During the coming years, the company will work with its egg suppliers and Humane Society International, one of the world’s largest animal protection organizations, to complete the transition.

The transition period in which the egg suppliers will work on the adaptation of their farms to guarantee animal welfare for their hens will take five years. Therefore, ESTELAR will be able to employ cage-free systems by 2022.

Cage-free systems generally offer higher animal welfare compared to caged systems. Cage-free hens are able to walk, stretch their wings and lay their eggs in nests, in addition to other important natural behaviors that are all denied to animals when they are confined for their whole lives in cages.

Alejandro Blanco, director of operations at Hoteles ESTELAR, stated: “At Hoteles Estelar it is a priority to be up to date with the trends in Colombia and the rest of the world, and to also meet tour guests’ demands. As a socially responsible company, we want to ensure higher welfare in our supply chain and offer our clients higher quality products.”

Elissa Lane, deputy director of HSI Farm Animals, stated: “We congratulate Hoteles Estelar for being a leader in this corporate social responsibility initiative that will improve the lives of thousands of animals in Colombia. This corporate decision is a great example for the rest of the industry in Colombia and Latin America. We invite other companies from the hotel industry to join this movement.”

More than 30 companies have joined this cage-free egg initiative in Colombia and Latin America, including Grupo Bimbo, Alsea, Arcos Dorados, Toks, Burger King, Compass Group, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Accor Hotels, Sodexo, Hilton Worldwide, International Meal Company and Unilever.

Media contacts:

Hoteles ESTELAR: Nubia Gamboa S., nubiagamboa@dinamica.co.in

HSI: Laura Agudelo, lafripreseria@gmail.com

Humane Society International / Viet Nam

The free-range egg farm at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay

Humane Society International/Vietnam praised Six Senses Ninh Van Bay for becoming the first resort in Vietnam to have its own free-range egg farm. The resort’s farm will help its customers learn about a more humane alternative to intensive confinement egg production.

The new egg farm provides the hens with a quality of life well above that experienced by most laying hens in Vietnam. The majority of egg-laying hens in the country spend their lives crowded into small wire cages, known as battery cages, which do not give the birds sufficient space to walk or even stretch their wings.

Ngoc Nguyen, sustainability supervisor for Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, said, “Six Senses Ninh Van Bay aims to provide the highest quality experience to our guests, and our new free-range egg farm is one way we do this. Not only do we believe the quality of the food is enhanced when hens are given space to roam, but our guests will appreciate Six Senses respecting nature by providing a place for hens to perform their natural behaviors.”

At Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, the chickens on their farm can move about freely within a large yard or take cover in a spacious indoor enclosure, and can engage in natural behavior such as foraging outdoors, perching and nesting.

Trang Dang, HSI’s campaign manager for farm animals in Vietnam, said, “We urge consumers to do more research on the origins of their eggs, and avoid purchasing eggs produced in farms that use battery cages. By promoting the concept of free-range eggs, the resort provides valuable information to their guests so they can make a better choice for animals.”

The resort also adopts “Green Monday Vietnam”, a program that encourages their guests to eliminate meat once a week, on Monday, and opt for other delicious, healthy plant-based options. This is a part of a global movement supported by HSI that aims to promote a healthier, more sustainable and more compassionate community.

HSI works with governments, farmers, and other stakeholders in the egg, meat, and dairy sectors to end the extreme confinement of animals in cages and crates, and improve the overall welfare of farm animals. We can all stand up for animals every time we sit down to eat by reducing the number of animal products we eat, replacing them with plant based products or animal products from sources that adhere to higher animal welfare standards when possible.

Facts:

  • In 2013, Vietnam had 71.5 million hens and produced 7.8 billion eggs, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.
  • While Vietnam has many small-scale free-range producers, the number of large industrial facilities, in which battery cages are still in use, is increasing.
  • There is no legislation banning or restricting the confinement of egg-laying hens in cages in Vietnam, though a number of global food companies have committed to using only cage-free eggs, including for their operations in Vietnam, such as Accor Hotels, Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts and Marriott International

Humane Society International

Billions of people are called to take a green step towards reducing their carbon footprint for World Environment Day, 5 June 2017. This year’s theme, “Connecting People to Nature,” aims to encourage us to appreciate nature, consider how intimately we depend on it, and make an effort to protect the Earth we call home. One easy, fun and delicious way for anyone to participate is to indulge in plant-based foods. Green Monday is a global movement that encourages South Africans to make a positive difference to the environment — one meal at a time. Replacing meat, eggs and dairy with plant-based foods such as nuts, grains, beans, legumes and vegetables, even just one day a week, can make a tremendous difference, especially as we face water restrictions, shortages of arable land and dangerous climate change.

We raise more than 1 billion land animals for food every year in South Africa and research indicates we are consuming more and more animal products. In just ten years, for instance, pork intake increased 77 percent and poultry intake rose 63 percent. We are also consuming more beef, eggs and dairy too. All of this comes at a price, as raising animals for food contributes to dangerous climate change, deforestation, water pollution and water shortages:

1. Climate-changing gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are released into the atmosphere at nearly every stage of meat, egg and milk production. These gases increase the chances for severe weather events and harm the atmosphere and oceans. In South Africa, animal agriculture accounts 60 percent of total agricultural carbon dioxide.

2. More than half of all land in South Africa is used to raise farm animals, a process which severely degrades the land and damages plant and animal species. Tremendous amounts of farm land are also used to grow feed for farm animals.

3. Raising farm animals pollutes our water, in large part because of animal manure but also because of chemicals used to grow animal feed.

4. Producing meat, milk and eggs requires huge amounts of water, whether for growing feed, cleaning housing enclosures, hydrating the animals, disposing their waste or disinfecting slaughtering equipment. Amazingly, it takes over 4,000 liters of water to produce a kilogram of chicken meat, significantly more than needed to produce almost every other plant-based food.

According to Leozette Roode, farm animal campaign manager for HSI/Africa: “It has never been more important for South Africans to save our precious natural resources, and with the death-threatening droughts we are experiencing, the focus is on water conservation. Humane Society International/ Africa asks that you consider replacing animal products with plant-based foods every Green Monday in order to help animals and to help us conserve and protect South Africa’s precious water supply.”

Other benefits come from a greener diet. Numerous studies indicate that a diet rich in plant-based foods can help improve your health. In South Africa, nearly 30 percent of men and 56 percent of women are either overweight or obese. Studies show that people who eat fewer animal products have lower rates of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis and cancer. Replacing meat, milk and eggs also benefits farm animals in South Africa, millions of whom spend their entire lives in cages or crates, where they are unable to exercise, engage in their natural behaviours, and often cannot even turn around because of lack of space.

“It is really easy to replace animal products in our meals with delicious and healthy plant-based alternatives,” according to Ms. Roode. “Simply use nut milk instead of dairy milk and add pulses like lentil and beans to your soups and stews for protein. ‘Meaty’ vegetables like mushrooms are great in pastas and soaked cashews makes the creamiest sauces. There are also a variety of meat alternative brands available in South Africa to replace braai favourites like patties, schnitzels, nuggets and sausages.”

Since the launch of HSI’s Green Monday campaign in South Africa, not only have countless individuals begun to enjoy more plant-based foods every Monday, but also South African restaurants, food brands, government departments, and other leaders of the industry have also enthusiastically joined the initiative.

All of these efforts are helping to create a more environmentally sustainable South Africa. This year, World Environment Day happens to fall on a Monday, so make it a Green Monday.

HSI works with governments, farmers, and other stakeholders in the egg, meat, and dairy sectors to end the extreme confinement of animals in cages and crates, and improve the overall welfare of farm animals. We can all stand up for animals every time we sit down to eat by reducing the number of animal products we eat, replacing them with plant based products or animal products from sources that adhere to higher animal welfare standards when possible.

Contact: Leozette Roode Campaign Manager, Farm Animals: lroode@hsi.org, +27(0)713601104

Humane Society International

  • More and more companies are going cage-free. istock

Humane Society International is praising Mondelēz International, one of the world’s largest snacks companies with more than 100 iconic brands including Cadbury and Nabisco, for extending its cage-free egg commitment globally. The company had previously set timelines for sourcing exclusively cage-free eggs in Europe, Canada and the United States.

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The updated commitment, which now includes Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, states “We’ll fully transition in the United States and Canada by 2020 and in Europe and the rest of the world by 2025, except for Russia, Ukraine and China.” The company also stated that it will establish timelines for those three nations by mid-2018.

Chetana Mirle, director of HSI Farm Animals, said: “We congratulate Mondelēz International for its leadership in animal welfare, particularly in emerging markets. The company’s expanded cage-free policy is a clear sign that battery cages have no place in the global food industry. We look forward to working with Mondelēz International, and other companies, to achieve a 100 percent cage-free egg supply across the world.”

The majority of egg-laying hens around the world are confined for their whole lives in cages so small they cannot even fully stretch their wings. In battery cages, each bird has less space to spend her entire life than the size of a sheet of paper. The use of conventional battery cages for laying hens is banned or being phased out under laws or regulations throughout the EU, six U.S. states, New Zealand and Bhutan. The majority of states in India, which is the world’s third largest egg producer, have declared that the use of battery cages violates the country’s animal welfare legislation, and the country is debating a national ban.

Mondelēz International joins other leading companies, including Unilever, General Mills, Sodexo, Compass Group, Aramark, AccorHotels and Intercontinental Hotels Group in adopting global cage-free egg policies. Help us achieve more victories for farm animals.

Media Contact: Raúl Arce-Contreras, rcontreras@humanesociety.org, 301-721-6440

For US supporter inquiries: Call 866-614-4371 or fill out our contact form

Humane Society International

  • © Veer

Bunge, one of Brazil’s largest food and agribusiness companies, and manufacturer of popular mayonnaise brands Soya, Salada and Primor, announced that it will source only cage-free eggs in its supply chain by 2025. Bunge’s policy follows discussions with Humane Society International, and other organizations. HSI is working with food industry leaders in Brazil and around the globe on the adoption and implementation of animal welfare policies, including cage-free eggs.

Fernanda Vieira, corporate policy and program manager for HSI/Brazil, said: “Consumers care about the way animals are treated in food production and we are glad to see Bunge taking these concerns seriously by committing to this shift to a 100 percent cage-free egg supply chain. Bunge’s cage-free egg policy will improve the lives of tens of thousands of animals and sends a clear message to the egg industry in Brazil that cage-free production systems are the way forward”.

Become a Farm Animal Defender.

Egg-laying hens are typically confined for their whole lives in wire battery cages, so small that the hens cannot even fully stretch their wings. Science confirms what common sense tell us, that the lack of space and restriction of movement is detrimental to the physical health of the birds and causes frustration and suffering.

The use of conventional battery cages for laying hens is banned or being phased out under laws or regulations throughout the EU, in five U.S. states and in New Zealand and Bhutan. Officials in the majority of states in India, the world’s third largest egg producer, have declared that the use of battery cages violates the country’s animal welfare legislation, and the country is debating a national ban.

Bunge joins other leading food manufacturers and restaurant companies, including Unilever, Cargill, Nestlé, the largest food company in the world, Burger King and Arcos Dorados, which operates McDonald’s in Brazil and 19 other countries in the region, in committing to switching to 100 percent cage-free eggs. Alsea, the largest restaurant operator in Latin America and Spain, and Grupo Bimbo, the world’s largest bakery company, announced cage-free egg policies after several years of talks with HSI. Other leading corporations like BFFC, Grupo Trigo, AccorHotels, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Subway, IMC, Barilla, Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, Giraffas, Divino Fogão, and Habib’s have also pledged to go cage-free in Brazil.

Media contact:
Fernanda Vieira, fvieira@hsi.org, 11 9 8905 3848

Humane Society International

Speaking about the future of animal agriculture at the International Meat Congress in Mexico City, Humane Society International stressed that farm animal welfare has become an important issue for food companies, consumer groups and governments across the world, including in Mexico. 

Sabina Garcia, corporate policy and program director for Humane Society International Farm Animals, presented on the movement away from the lifelong confinement of farm animals in restrictive cages and crates, stating:

“In response to consumer demand, food companies in Mexico and around the globe are adopting cage-free egg and crate-free pork purchasing policies. Companies understand that animal welfare is an important part of staying competitive in a global market that increasingly values higher welfare products.”

In Mexico, breeding sows in the pork industry are frequently confined for practically their entire lives in individual gestation crates, so small that the animals cannot even turn around. Most egg-laying hens in Mexico are confined in wire battery cages so small the animals cannot even fully stretch their wings.

Global financial institutions have highlighted the importance of animal welfare for a company’s brand image and competitiveness. In a 2008 food industry report, Citigroup warned of “…a number of potential headline risks that could tarnish the image of restaurant companies, including concerns over animal cruelty…” The International Finance Organization stated, “In the case of animal welfare, failure to keep pace with changing consumer expectations and market opportunities could put companies and their investors at a competitive disadvantage.”

Over the past few years, HSI has worked with food corporations in Mexico on the adoption of animal welfare policies, specifically on their transition to higher welfare products like cage-free eggs and crate-free pork. These companies include Burger King, Arcos Dorados (McDonald’s Latin America), Grupo Toks and Sushi Itto, which have committed to transitioning to 100 percent crate-free pork and cage-free eggs in Mexico. Grupo Bimbo, Unilever, Kellogg’s, General Mills, Alsea and numerous other food companies have adopted cage-free egg policies in the country. The world and Latin America’s largest pork producers- including Smithfield Foods, JBS, BRF, Maple Leaf, Cargill and Hormel, are all transitioning to crate-free housing systems for breeding sows.

Media Contact:

U.S.: Raul Arce-Contreras, rcontreras@humanesociety.org, 301.721.6440

Mexico:Laura Bravo, laurabravocom@gmail.com

Humane Society International

Aramark, one of the world’s leading food service providers, has announced it will transition to a 100 percent cage-free egg supply chain globally. Aramark, which has operations in 19 countries and purchases more than 300 million eggs annually, will conclude its transition to cage-free eggs by 2025.

Chetana Mirle, director of HSI Farm Animals, said: “We applaud Aramark for committing to a global cage-free egg policy and improving the lives of millions of egg-laying hens.  This is another clear sign that the future of global egg production is cage-free.”

In its statement, Scott Barnhart, Aramark’s senior vice president, Global Supply Chain and Procurement, commented: “We are unwavering in our commitment to work with suppliers and animal welfare organizations to advance responsible sourcing practices across our global supply chain…We are pleased that Aramark’s cage-free egg learnings in the U.S. are being applied to address the remaining portion of our total egg purchases around the world.”

Support HSI’s efforts to help farm animals.

Egg-laying hens are often confined for their whole lives in wire battery cages so small and crowded with other birds that the animals cannot even fully stretch their wings. The use of conventional battery cages for laying hens is banned or being phased out under laws or regulations throughout the EU, five U.S. states, New Zealand and Bhutan. The majority of states in India, which is the world’s third largest egg producer, have declared that the use of battery cages violates the country’s animal welfare legislation, and the country is debating a national ban.

Today’s announcement follows similar commitments made in 2016 by Sodexo and Compass Group, the world’s largest food service providers, to also switch to a 100 percent cage-free egg supply chain for their global operations. Aramark joins a growing number of companies that have committed to cage-free egg policies worldwide including Alsea, Unilever, Grupo Bimbo, AccorHotels, General Mills and Nestlé. More than 200 food companies – including  McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, and Walmart, have also announced a complete transition to cage-free eggs in their U.S. supply chains.

Media contact: Raul Arce-Contreras, rcontreras@humanesociety.org, +1 301.721.6440

Humane Society International / Canada

The vast number of consumer labels affixed to egg cartons can leave a shopper feeling dazed and confused. One carton may label its eggs “Natural.” Another carton may call them “Free Range,” while yet another may claim its eggs are “Certified Organic.” How are thoughtful consumers supposed to know what these labels and claims really mean?

The truth is that the majority of egg labels have little relevance to animal welfare or, if they do, they have no official standards or any mechanism to enforce them.

Welfare concerns

No label, classic, conventional, regular, farm-fresh, natural

The chickens who laid these eggs are kept in cages for almost their entire lives. The cages are about the size of a file cabinet drawer and can hold up to seven hens. The birds don’t have enough room to even flap their wings, and cannot lay their eggs in a nest—a hen’s strongest instinct.

Omega-3 enriched, vegetarian-fed, lutein-enriched

These terms all describe the hens’ diet, not their level of welfare. Unless they are marked with a label specifically addressing their housing (e.g. free range eggs), these eggs are from caged hens.

Better options

Free run

These hens are kept cage-free in barn housing. While they don’t have access to the outdoors, they can lay their eggs in a nest box, flap their wings, peck at the ground and have access to perches.

Free range

These hens are kept cage-free in barn housing. They can lay their eggs in a nest box, flap their wings, peck at the ground and have access to perches. These animals are allowed access to the outdoors when weather permits.

Best choices

Organic, certified organic

Unless these eggs are marked with one of the logos below, compliance with Canadian Organic Standards is voluntary, so standards may vary.

These labels are found in some parts of Canada, and all indicate that the housing systems that these hens live in have been third-party verified.

While each standard specifies a different amount of space per hen indoors, none of these hens are in cages and, in the case of certified free range, all hens have specified time and space outdoors, weather permitting.

What to look for

Certified organic logos (all provinces)

     

Certified organic and certified humane logos (British Columbia)

     

Certified organic logos (Quebec)

       

Note: Virtually all hens in commercial egg operations—whether cage or cage-free—come from hatcheries that kill all male chicks shortly after hatching. The males are of no use to the egg industry because they don’t lay eggs and aren’t bred to grow as large or as rapidly as chickens used in the meat industry. Common methods of killing male chicks include suffocation, gassing and grinding. Tens of millions of male chicks are killed each year in Canadian hatcheries.

Humane Society International / Canada

“Salmonella Thrives in Cage Housing”—This headline was featured in World Poultry in 2009. In 2010, an outbreak of salmonella that sickened hundreds of people caused the recall of hundreds of millions of eggs in the United States.

All 15 studies published comparing salmonella contamination in cage and cage-free egg operations since 2005 founder higher rates of salmonella in the cage facilities. The only two studies ever published comparing risk at the consumer level both tied increased salmonella risk to cage egg consumption.

The health risks posed by battery cages are easy to understand; when birds are crammed so tightly together in cages, with thousands and thousands of hens housed in single barns, the transmission bacteria and of diseases such as bird flu happens much more easily than if hens are afforded more room to move.

Hens are typically jammed into cage-filled sheds by the hundreds of thousands, causing environmental degradation—especially manure-related pollution. For this reason, numerous environmental organizations are in favor of the egg industry switching to cage-free systems.

Studies have shown that not confining animals in cages may improve food safety.

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