Want to make a difference? Put your money where your mouth is—literally. The food choices you make in the grocery store have a significant impact on the welfare of farm animals across the country. Your purchases let retailers and producers know that consumers are interested in humanely raised food products. If the products are selling, they will continue to produce and stock them in your store.

However, labels can often be confusing and misleading. The following is a guide to help you make the best food choices possible.

Eggs - Look for eggs produced by cage free (also labeled uncaged or free roaming) or free-range hens. Although the amount of space per hen, feed composition and access to fresh air or sunlight can vary greatly among the different brands of cage-free eggs, these hens are allowed some freedom of movement and are not crammed into tiny battery cages. If you want to know how much space per hen is provided, call the producer. The phone number, address or website is usually listed on the carton. FACT has investigated the humane production claims on over 80 different brands of cage free eggs and can also provide additional information to consumers who have questions about the eggs they are buying or see in the grocery store. Here are some of the most common egg labeling claims and FACT’s interpretation of what they really mean.

One caveat for the consumer...no federal regulatory agency, neither the US Department of Agriculture or the Food and Drug Administration, has any process verification system in place to define, regulate, monitor or validate claims on egg labels. Demand continues to grow for cage free eggs and large food companies are beginning to implement buying policies that include cage free eggs. Although many companies are getting into the cage free business to tap this new market demand, there are several companies that claim they have never used battery cages for their hens, adhering to the philosophy that hens should never be confined to cages. FACT recommends purchasing eggs from producers who are committed to humane and sustainable production practices, and who do not produce any eggs from hens in battery cages.

Poultry - Look for free-range poultry. These birds are allowed some access to the outdoors, although the amount and type of access can vary greatly. Ideally, look for birds that are raised on pasture, as exercise and fresh air provide many health benefits to the birds in terms of reduced lameness and respiratory infections. It may be difficult to find pasture-raised chicken and turkey in your grocery store. FACT suggests visiting your local farmers market and buying directly from the farmer. That way, you can ask about the production practices and how the birds are treated.

Since the average life of a broiler is fairly short, they are not beak-trimmed. Furthermore, birds raised for meat are never caged as cages can cause severe bruising. If poultry meat is labeled as cage-free, you can be sure it is simply a marketing gimmick to mislead the consumer.

Beef - Beef cattle are routinely raised with hormones and antibiotics to speed growth and accelerate weight gain during finishing on the feedlot (when animals are readied for market). Dairy cattle are often treated with hormones to increase milk output and heavily dosed with antibiotics to treat the increased incidence of mastitis (udder infections) that occurs with hormone use. When antibiotic treatments fail, these cattle end up at the slaughterhouse for use in hamburger and processed meats.

Labels that read "raised without hormones and antibiotics" are better choices, although humane treatment is not guaranteed. It is best to purchase beef that is labeled grass-fed or pasture-raised or grass-finished (in addition to raised without hormones and antibiotics) as this implies that the animals were on pasture for the entirety of their lives. Buying directly from the farmers is the best way to find grass-fed or pasture-raised beef. For a list of farmers in your area, call FACT. You can also visit www.eatwild.com or www.americangrassfed.org for a list of farmers in your area.

Pork - Most pigs are raised in small pens on slatted metal or concrete floors. Breeding sows are raised in gestation crates. These crates are actually small, individual stalls on slatted floors which severely restrict freedom of movement, including turning sideways or lying down comfortably. FACT considers these conditions very inhumane because there is inadequate opportunity for exercise; conditions are unsanitary, with hogs and sows often caked in their own feces; and the air is heavily fouled with the fumes from manure pits which lie beneath the slatted floors.

Look for pork that is labeled as "free range," "pasture-raised" or "raised in deep-bedded housing." These systems allow for freedom of movement and the expression of natural behaviors, especially important in reducing overall stress. Humanely raised pork is often also labeled as "raised without hormones and antibiotics." However, the use of hormones in pork production is prohibited by law, so a label that reads only "raised without hormones" is misleading.

More and more companies are implementing purchasing policies that consider the humane treatment of animals. In response, two large pork producers have agreed to phase out gestation crates over the next several years.

Veal - Male calves born to dairy cows (from which veal is produced) should be raised on pasture with their mothers. They should be fed with mother's milk or a nutritionally complete milk replacer containing iron (which is necessary for normal development of the digestive tract and prevention of anemia). When they are a little older, they can eat grass and forages, or a nutritionally complete grain mixture. "Milk-fed" veal usually means that the calves are confined to tiny crates and fed a "milk replacer" consisting of dried skim milk, fats, starches, mold inhibitors and antibiotics. The lack of iron in the milk replacer results in severely anemic calves (which give the meat a white color). These calves also suffer from lameness as a result of their severe confinement.

There are only a small number of producers who are raising their veal calves humanely. This veal, which is sometimes referred to as "pink" veal, cannot be found in grocery stores and should be purchased directly from the farmer. For a list of farmers in your area, visit www.eatwild.com or www.americanpasturage.com (which also ships direct).

Dairy products - Look for milk and other dairy products that specifically state "raised without added hormones" or "no hormones added." Alternatively, some milk products may state they are raised without rBGH or rBST.

In general, dairy cows are raised in free stalls or drylots, without access to pasture or a natural ruminant diet of grasses or forages. Highly concentrated grain-based diets and confinement housing contribute to the most common health problems, including mastitis, lameness sterility and high mortality. However, the use of hormones dramatically increases the incidence of disease and illness. Cows on hormones suffer higher rates of mastitis, lameness and mortality, which also leads to increased use of antibiotics to treat these problems. This is why FACT recommends purchasing milk produced without antibiotics and hormones.

Goats are kept under more humane conditions and their milk is available in health food stores and some specialty stores. Soy products can also be a good option, eliminating animal concerns altogether. Organic dairy products are produced from cows that are not treated with hormones and antibiotics. However, access to pasture, as required under the USDA National Organic Program regulations, is interpreted differently by different companies and not all organic cows graze routinely on grasses and forages. For a comparison of how organic milk producers rate versus each other, visit www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/.

Other Terms

Organic - Food certified as organic can often be a good choice when choosing meat, poultry and dairy products. Organic regulations prohibit the use of hormones and antibiotics. The National Organic Program (NOP) standards,

which was fully implemented in October 2002, includes some provisions for the humane treatment of animals, although they are fairly vague. In addition, animal by-products are prohibited in feeds for organically raised animals. Certified organic products carry the USDA's Organic seal.

Products labeled as "organic" are inspected annually by a government-approved certification agency. The certifier inspects the farm and where the food is raised and reviews all the necessary documentation to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards.

All Natural or Natural- Be aware of the term "all-natural" which states nothing about the treatment of the animals or the food and drugs they receive. Natural simply means that no artificial products, such as artificial coloring, were used in the processing of the product (after slaughter).

No Antibiotics or No Hormones - Products labeled as "No Antibiotics Used or Added" can be a good choice. However, just because a food is antibiotic free, is no guarantee that the animals were raised humanely, were fed healthy food, were able to exercise and express natural behaviors, or were outside.

By federal law, only beef and milk are allowed to carry a "No Hormones" label. Because the use of hormones often has detrimental effects on the health of the animals, FACT believes it is best to purchase products from animals that have not been given hormones. However, once again, the lack of hormone use does not mean that the animals are being raised humanely or had access to pasture.

For more information on other labeling terms, click here.