All Whole Foods beef, pork and chicken now certified under animal welfare rating system
Whole Foods Market announced all fresh beef, pork and chicken sold in its U.S. stores is now certified under the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating system, providing shoppers with a new depth of information about how farm animals are raised.
Aimed to address growing concerns about farm animal welfare, the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating system is the signature program of the nonprofit Global Animal Partnership. The rating system identifies incrementally higher welfare practices and conditions within farm animal production systems. Independent third-party certifiers audit and rate farms' animal welfare practices and conditions using a tiered system that ranges from Step 1 (no crates, cages, or crowding) to Step 5+ (animals spend their entire lives on one farm).