{"id":5022,"date":"2024-04-22T13:45:14","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T17:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/?p=5022"},"modified":"2024-08-19T14:54:42","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T18:54:42","slug":"alexandres-humanewashing-the-ripple-effect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/news\/alexandres-humanewashing-the-ripple-effect\/","title":{"rendered":"Alexandre\u2019s Humanewashing: The Ripple Effect"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
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Our investigation of fraud, deception, and animal welfare abuses at Alexandre Family Farm<\/a> (Alexandre) revealed that Alexandre\u2019s national reputation for high animal welfare is largely a mirage. It is highly likely that milk sold across the country\u2014including in products like toddler formula and ice cream\u2014came from abused, neglected, and mistreated cows who were allowed to linger in their suffering<\/strong>. Maddeningly, many of these products were sold under humane labels that ideally should signify something meaningful for animals.<\/p>\n

This is a clear case of humanewashing<\/a>: when marketing and certifications create an image of exceptional animal treatment meant to assuage consumers, despite the reality being far more grim.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that \u201cethical\u201d dairies like Alexandre are used to market the entire industry to consumers, giving a halo of respectability and credibility to the very factory farm corporations that make cruelty and abuse endemic. But the corruption at Alexandre has spread further, as its lies rippled not only through the organic, higher welfare dairy market but beyond.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alexandre\u2019s \u201cethical dairy\u201d status has been used to lend a veneer of respectability to natural food retailers like Whole Foods Market, food companies like Alec\u2019s Ice Cream and Cheddies Crackers, and even baby and children\u2019s food companies like Serenity Kids and Once Upon a Farm. All of these companies actively use Alexandre\u2019s halo of respectability to entice conscientious consumers to buy their own products. Alexandre\u2019s humanewashing stains a swath of companies and products that perpetuate Alexandre\u2019s deceptive claims.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whole Foods Market <\/strong>named Alexandre a \u201cSupplier of the Year<\/a>\u201d in 2021, and markets its partnership with Alexandre as \u201cRestarting Dairy<\/a>\u201d\u2014likely an effort to leverage Alexandre\u2019s reputation to improve the public image of dairy, which has been declining over the years. Whole Foods proudly showcases a video with Alexandre co-owner Blake Alexandre, who notes that seeing Alexandre\u2019s products on Whole Foods shelves \u201cgives us a tremendous sense of pride and it also highlights the fact that we\u2019re making a difference. It\u2019s a small difference, but what we\u2019re doing here on the farm is contributing in a positive way to the betterment of our society and humanity<\/strong>.\u201d1<\/a><\/p>\n

Jarringly, that same flashy video can\u2019t conceal some of Alexandre\u2019s inhumane practices. The video inadvertently documents cows with extremely low body condition scores (suggesting disease and\/or malnutrition), as well as hundreds of plastic calf hutches (widely seen as inhumane)<\/strong>2<\/a>3<\/a>4<\/a>5<\/a> where Alexandre isolates calves from their mothers, other cows, and other calves<\/strong>. Alexandre\u2019s hutches do not even include the standard patch of ground in front that would allow calves to go outside; a veterinary expert who reviewed our report noted that hutches were never meant to be used as cages, and \u201ccalves not able to step outside their hutches is a horrific perversion of use.<\/strong>\u201d Even Whole Foods Market\u2019s rosy portrayal of Alexandre unintentionally reveals systemic and unnecessary suffering.<\/p>\n

Update! <\/strong>Following the release of our report, Whole Foods Market appears to have taken down<\/a> its Restarting Dairy<\/a> page that referred to the Alexandres as \u201cenvironmental stewards,\u201d proudly noted that \u201cWhole Foods Market has been working with the Alexandres for over a decade.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to supplying cows\u2019 milk to Whole Foods, Alexandre sells it to food manufacturers, including baby food and kids\u2019 snack companies and leading organic cheese, cracker, and ice cream companies. Alexandre promotes a partnership with Serenity Kids<\/strong><\/a>, which sells baby food and \u201ctoddler formula\u201d (and according to the Serenity Kids website its toddler formula \u201cmeets FDA nutritional requirements for infant formula\u201d).6<\/a> Serenity Kids notes that its formula\u2019s milk ingredients come from Alexandre, \u201cwhich is known for its quality, ethical<\/strong> practices<\/strong>.\u201d Serenity\u2019s President and Co-Founder Joe Carr glowingly recounts in a video featured on Serenity\u2019s YouTube,<\/p>\n

At Serenity Kids we support American family farmers that treat their animals ethically<\/strong> \u2026 We are just super excited to have now created a product that proves that you can make formula \u2026 created in a way that\u2019s great for the planet and great for the animals<\/strong>. -Joe Carr, President and Co-Founder, Serenity Kids7<\/a><\/p>\n

Once Upon a Farm<\/strong><\/a> was co-founded by actor Jennifer Garner. A recipient of the Clean Label Project\u2019s \u201cPurity Award,\u201d until recently Once Upon a Farm produced only completely plant-based foods for infants, toddlers, and children. In January 2024 it announced that it will incorporate Alexandre\u2019s products into some of its foods marketed to kids 12 months and older,8<\/a> noting<\/a> (correctly) that Alexandre is \u201cthe leading regenerative organic certified dairy farm in the U.S.<\/strong>\u201d Once Upon a Farm products are sold at Whole Foods, Target and Costco.<\/p>\n

Alexandre also supplies to Rumiano Cheese<\/strong><\/a>, which claims \u201ca deep commitment to \u2026 animal welfare<\/strong>\u201d9<\/a> and sells Organic cheese to thousands of grocery stores nationwide, including grocery giants like Safeway, Vons, Whole Foods, and Costco. Rumiano boasts that their cheese \u201cbenefits the animals<\/strong> and consumers by helping produce healthy and humane<\/strong> dairy products.\u201d10<\/a> Rumiano Cheese buys milk from milk suppliers like Organic West<\/strong><\/a> that process milk from\u00a0 Alexandre and resell it to a wide variety of outlets.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t end there, but continues with prominent relationships with food companies like Alec\u2019s Ice Cream<\/strong><\/a>, which markets \u201cthe first-ever regenerative organic ice cream\u2014one that\u2019s improving our world through the way it\u2019s created<\/strong>\u201d and that \u201cimproves the lives of animals.<\/strong>\u201d11<\/a><\/p>\n

Update! <\/strong>Following the release of our report, Alec\u2019s Ice Cream appears to have taken down<\/a> and removed from its site navigation its Our Impact<\/a> page, which claimed that regenerative farming \u201cimproves the lives of animals,\u201d that its products are \u201cpositively changing our planet for a better future,\u201d and that Alexandre is \u201cproving that cows actually help reverse climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cheddies Crackers<\/strong><\/a>, which differentiates its products in large part by marketing them as Certified Humane and Regenerative Organic Certified. In addition to stating \u201cHappy cows<\/strong> make the best milk,\u201d Cheddies notes on its homepage,<\/p>\n

Our cheese comes from regenerative<\/strong> farms, like the Alexandre Family Farm<\/strong> in California. These farms are like VIP clubs for cows – they get the royal treatment<\/strong>. -Cheddies Crackers website<\/p>\n

All of these suppliers use Alexandre\u2019s certifications and marketing to differentiate their products, trying to convince a public that is increasingly skeptical of cows\u2019 dairy products because of their health, animal welfare, and environmental impacts that it\u2019s acceptable\u2014even beneficial\u2014to eat their products. In the marketing language of one of Alexandre\u2019s buyers, \u201cEvery time you enjoy Alec\u2019s ice cream, you\u2019re making a positive impact.\u201d12<\/a><\/p>\n

In other words, Alexandre\u2019s deception is propagated in the market by the companies that use Alexandre\u2019s products and reputation to hide the ubiquity of the ethically repugnant practices that are virtually unavoidable in dairy, given the present structure of the industry.<\/strong>13<\/a><\/p>\n

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Taking Action <\/strong><\/p>\n

Below is a list of companies that sell Alexandre products or source them for ingredients. Farm Forward asks these companies to cut ties with Alexandre and if possible reformulate to take cows\u2019 milk out of their products. We will update you on how each company responds to our request.<\/p>\n