100 signatures reached
To: Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP - Secretary of State DEFRA, & the Food Standards Agency
Introduce "Meat from Factory Farm" labelling
Enable consumers to choose to support animal welfare while purchasing by including clear and compulsory information on the labelling of products containing meat as to the standard of life experienced by the animals which go into them, along the lines of the existing "eggs from caged hens".
Why is this important?
Given the choice between purchasing eggs from caged or free range hens, the British public have proven that they care enough about animal welfare to have this inform their purchasing decisions. Independent research has found that 79% of UK consumers take animal welfare into account when shopping, yet most of the method of production labelling in this country is still voluntary and insufficiently regulated and enforced.
http://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/foodlabelling/works
Requiring those manufacturers who source meat from intensive "factory" farms to declare this on their packaging by law would help consumers make an informed choice at the point of purchase, while encouraging people to think about where their food comes from and the quality of life the animals involved receive before they become our dinner. The research indicates that 8 out of 10 British shoppers would support this, and the "Labelling Matters" campaign offers a tool for lobbying DEFRA and the EU as individuals with regard to chicken meat:
http://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/foodlabelling/takeaction
http://www.onekind.org/campaigns/food_labelling/
It is our opinion that this does not go far enough; and we think that pigs, sheep, cows, and fish deserve the same consideration as chickens.
In addition, the meat industry is a major contributor to climate change, and intensive farming methods exacerbate this. While it is unrealistic to expect people to stop eating meat all together, this move would give consumers an indication as to how much their purchasing choices contribute to this global crisis.
http://www.cowspiracy.com/
http://www.fawf.org.uk/documents/FAWF_Labelling_Food_FINAL.pdf
http://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/foodlabelling/works
Requiring those manufacturers who source meat from intensive "factory" farms to declare this on their packaging by law would help consumers make an informed choice at the point of purchase, while encouraging people to think about where their food comes from and the quality of life the animals involved receive before they become our dinner. The research indicates that 8 out of 10 British shoppers would support this, and the "Labelling Matters" campaign offers a tool for lobbying DEFRA and the EU as individuals with regard to chicken meat:
http://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/foodlabelling/takeaction
http://www.onekind.org/campaigns/food_labelling/
It is our opinion that this does not go far enough; and we think that pigs, sheep, cows, and fish deserve the same consideration as chickens.
In addition, the meat industry is a major contributor to climate change, and intensive farming methods exacerbate this. While it is unrealistic to expect people to stop eating meat all together, this move would give consumers an indication as to how much their purchasing choices contribute to this global crisis.
http://www.cowspiracy.com/
http://www.fawf.org.uk/documents/FAWF_Labelling_Food_FINAL.pdf
