{"id":3699,"date":"2021-11-09T08:12:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T08:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farmforward1.wpengine.com\/?p=3699"},"modified":"2023-04-11T11:57:43","modified_gmt":"2023-04-11T15:57:43","slug":"think-you-can-find-a-humanely-raised-turkey-at-whole-foods-for-thanksgiving-think-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/news\/think-you-can-find-a-humanely-raised-turkey-at-whole-foods-for-thanksgiving-think-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Think You Can Find a Humanely Raised Turkey at Whole Foods for Thanksgiving? Think Again."},"content":{"rendered":"\t
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Every Thanksgiving Farm Forward is asked to help inform consumers about where to purchase a humanely raised turkey. For years we have tried our best to provide accurate and honest answers to these questions, relying on independent welfare certifications like Global Animal Partnership (GAP), the label that certifies meat at Whole Foods Market. This year, as we\u2019ve deepened our investigation into the widespread practice of\u00a0humanewashing<\/a>, we realized that in order to\u00a0responsibly\u00a0educate consumers, we need to first understand the impact that certifications like Whole Foods\u2019 GAP label have on shoppers.<\/p>\n

We want to know:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. When shoppers buy meat with Whole Foods\u2019 GAP label, do their expectations match the reality of how those animals were raised?<\/li>\n
  2. Does Whole Foods\u2019 GAP label make shoppers better informed, or more confused, about animal welfare practices?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These are questions Farm Forward sought to answer in a survey we commissioned this September.1<\/a> What we learned is that very few Americans (9 to 11 percent) understand what GAP certification labels mean<\/strong>, with 40 percent believing that the labels indicate better welfare practices than they actually do.<\/p>\n

    This confusion benefits the\u00a0lowest welfare\u00a0meat producers at the expense of the highest welfare meat producers. Moreover, a \u201chalo effect\u201d of top brands benefits not only the worst producers at Whole Foods, but also brands at other retailers that use bogus labels and sham certifications on their meat products.\u00a0The outcome is that consumers are confused and mistrustful of labels and can\u2019t make good choices when it comes to purchasing high welfare animal products, even at trusted retailers like Whole Foods.<\/p>\n

    \"\"Download the full infographic, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    The Data Shows: Whole Foods Customers Do Not Know What They Are Buying<\/h2>\n

    Many consumers looking for a humanely raised turkey this Thanksgiving will go to Whole Foods and pay more than they would at a conventional supermarket, and with good reason: all products sold through Whole Foods\u2019 meat counters are certified by GAP, the largest independent animal welfare certification in the US.2<\/a><\/p>\n

    So, are Whole Foods customers who care about animal welfare getting what they believe they pay for?<\/em> That depends on what they believe the GAP labels on Whole Foods meat actually means.<\/p>\n

    When shown an image of Whole Foods\u2019 generic GAP label,3<\/a> Americans were asked if they agreed or disagreed with statements about how animals certified under this label were actually raised.<\/p>\n

    \"\"Generic GAP label found on meat at Whole Foods<\/em><\/p>\n

    They responded as follows:<\/p>\n