Farmed Animals

Food labeling, including the term "natural" as it pertains to meat and poultry, was the topic of discussion at the Prime Label Consultants' 20th annual Federal Food Regulatory Conference. There is increasing pressure on food manufacturers to label products accurately, although some labels are more successful with respect to health issues than others.

In this report, the Union of Concerned Scientists analyzes both the policies that have facilitated the growth of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and the enormous costs that they impose on society. The sophisticated and efficient alternatives for producing affordable animal products are also discussed, as well as policy recommendations for a healthy and sustainable food system.

According to this Pew Commission report, Industrial Farm Animal Production (IFAP), also known by many as "factory farming," takes an enormous toll on human health and the environment as it undermines rural America's economic stability and fails to provide humane treatment for animals raised for food.

This study focuses on consumers' expectations for American companies and how their perceptions can influence purchasing, employment, and investment decisions. The results show that corporate responsibility has a significant impact on consumer purchase decisions, as well as employee loyalty.

More companies around the world are adjusting their farm-animal confinement policies and requesting clarification of consumer labels to reflect these changes, largely in response to U.S. voter-led initiatives and the implementation of farm policy reforms in the European Union.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, due to technological innovations and shifts to larger, more specialized hog farming operations, U.S. hog production has become more productive and less cost intensive, leading to lower hog prices overall.

Current estimates of global agricultural production, inventories, exports, and consumption are presented for 2007/2008, including outlooks for the following categories: wheat, coarse grains, rice, oilseeds, sugar, livestock, poultry, and dairy, and cotton.

According to the Hartman Group, U.S. consumers are increasingly reviewing the information on food labels, due to the recent increase in the number of food safety scares. Three-fourths of consumers (75%) believe that Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) should be mandatory.

Canadian researchers, Schwartzkopf-Genswein, et al., found that conditioning calves prior to transport allows them to better tolerate the stressors of transport and handling. For the purposes of this study, "conditioning" was defined as weaned and vaccinated at 13 and 29 days prior to transport, respectively.