Meat, Dairy, Egg Consumption

Consumers are largely isolated from the moral implications of their choices by numerous mechanisms that allow them to dissociate their use of animals from the suffering of animals. The literature review portion of this thesis examines the psychological and cultural constructs that present unique challenges to animal rights as a social movement. From that contextual backdrop, this thesis then evaluates consumer response to three major campaigns conducted by HSUS and PETA between 1980 and the present. The campaigns are vegetarianism and factory farming, the anti-fur movement, and the campaign against cosmetics testing on animals. While consumer response has been mixed, there are other outcomes from those campaigns that signal broader cultural changes. [Excepted from report]

Based on interviews conducted with board-level executives at more than 90 leading manufacturers, retailers, and food service companies from around the world, this report examines trends shaping the food and beverage industry today and discusses what those trends mean for the future of such businesses.

A trend in food labeling is to make claims related to agricultural management, and this is occurring with dairy labels. A survey study was conducted to compare retail milk for quality (antibiotics and bacterial counts), nutritional value (fat, protein, and solids-not-fat), and hormonal composition (somatotropin, insulin-like growth factor-1 [IGF-1], estradiol, and progesterone) as affected by three label claims related to dairy-cow management: conventional, recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST)- free (processor-certified not from cows supplemented with rbST), or organic (follows US Department of Agriculture organic practices). [Excerpted from article]

According to Mike Hutjens, dairy extension specialist at the University of Illinois, there are no nutritional differences in content, quality, or wholesomeness in milk from cows treated or not treated with rbST, or organic sourced milk.

A preview of the study "Health & Wellness 2008: The Purpose-Driven Consumer" showed that healthy convenience items are a high-growth food category. Additionally, consumer ideas of "freshness" are changing, and more people relate "local," "farm raised," and other "humane" terms to the concept.

An Ohio State University study of pigs raised in antibiotic-free and conventional settings revealed that pigs raised outdoors without antibiotics had higher rates of three foodborne pathogens compared with pigs raised on conventional farms, which remain indoors and receive preventive doses of antimicrobial drugs.

Research studies have shown that stress exhibited by pigs prior to being slaughtered can have a significant impact on the end product quality ("without even considering humane or ethical aspects of animal handling"). Major stress factors include poor handling, transport, and housing.

This report summarizes results from Wave 1 of the Humane Research Council's "Animal Tracker" survey of U.S. adults regarding their attitudes and behavior toward animals. This inaugural survey of 16 core questions shows strong support for the protection of all animals. The strength of that support varies by situation and species, however, and actual behavior does not always reflect the favorable attitudes identified.

During the week of June 13-19, 2008, U.S. beef export sales exceeded those for the same week in 2003 by 12%, reaching 14,700 metric tons (32.4 million pounds). 2003 was the last year that the U.S. was free of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow" disease).