[ad_1]
When you get a call about your vehicle’s extended warranty, you probably hang up without paying a cent – you know that’s a gimmick. However, shoppers often don’t think the same at the grocery store. Unfortunately, like the suspicious call for a deal that is too good to be true, the labels of “humane” and “sustainable” animal products are deceiving.
Instead of selling delicious vegan products that really humanely, many companies simply put misleading compassionate labels on the same types of brutalized products that they have sold for decades. This is known as “washing humanely,” and it is a marketing ploy that leads consumers to believe they are making good choices when they are not. Here, we’ll take a look at what these deceptive labels actually mean.
Grass-fed cows
- The USDA does not verify the accuracy of producers’ claims, so it is nearly impossible to know what the cows actually ate.
- Grass-fed cows are still injured without pain relievers – their skin is pressed with a hot iron and their sensitive horns burned out.
- Farmers and ranchers can clear vast acres of natural vegetation to graze cows, killing wildlife and causing erosion.
Chickens and eggs without a cage
- Chickens used in the egg industry live in dark, heavily crowded warehouses.
- The tips of the chicks’ beaks are usually scalded.
- Up to 86% of chickens used for cage-free egg rearing have bone fractures.
- All male chickens are killed – they are often ground or thrown in the garbage to suffocate – because the egg industry considers them useless.
What if animals raised without antibiotics get sick?
- Producers can use this label if they provide “sufficient evidence” that the animals were raised without antibiotics.
- More animals can get hurt and die because farmers do not treat them when they become infected in order to keep a deceptive label.
What farm animals are raised without hormones?
This label only applies to meat and milk from cows. It is illegal to give hormones to chickens, pigs and turkeys, so any company that advertises hormone-free products from these animals doesn’t do any extra work. If you look closely, you can find a stamp that says “Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones.” Basically, it’s the equivalent of selling zero calorie water that is cruel to animals.
Is eating farm-raised fish better for the animals and the environment?
- The fish are bred in packaged, feces-contaminated aquariums, which are prone to disease.
- Aquafarms can discharge waste, pesticides and other chemicals into natural ecosystems.
- Many of the fish raised on these farms are predators such as salmon and shrimp. This means that for every pound of fish farmed, 5 pounds of ocean fish are required as feed.
What does “wild caught” mean?
- Along with the trillions of fish caught at sea, thousands of whales, dolphins and turtles are caught and killed every year using fishing gear.
- 90% of the populations of large fish species have been destroyed by fishing.
- Garbage from fishing boats makes up the vast amount of plastic in the ocean, killing even more marine animals.
- The gills of fish that survive on the deck are cut open and the animals either die of blood loss or are thrown onto ice to freeze or slowly suffocate.
- For more on the impact of fisheries on the climate crisis, see Sea piracy on Netflix.
Buyer, be careful: there is no such thing as “humane meat”
Regardless of how animal products are advertised, don’t be fooled: When animals are used for profit, they always suffer.
The use of animals for food, such as eggs and cow’s milk, leads to harm, suffering and death. If you truly care about animals, the environment and your health, there is only one animal-friendly label you should look for: Vegan.
Try PETA’s 3-Week Vegan Challenge and Stop Eating Animals
[ad_2]
Source link