About Humane Farm Animal Care
Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) is the first and only nonprofit organization to develop industry-independent, scientifically sound standards that protect the welfare of animals involved in the food production process. HFAC offers a certification and labeling program to ensure that those animals providing meat, eggs, dairy and poultry to consumers are raised according to HFAC Animal Care Standards from birth through slaughter.
Certified Humane Raised and Handled® standards ensure that the animals involved in the food production process are treated humanely and in accordance with the highest farm animal welfare standards available today. The standards were developed by animal specialists with the welfare of the individual animal in mind, and take into account each animal's handling during all phases of the food production process.
HFAC's mission is to make humane farming the norm in American animal agriculture through consumer demand. It is the only animal welfare certification organization to be *ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Guide 65 accredited (pdf). All producers who are certified have met Certified Humane®'s published and specific requirements for certification and has undergone the rigorous, independent inspection process to prove this.
Currently, more than 36 animal welfare organizations, including the ASPCA, endorse HFAC, which has been widely praised by the media, receiving honors from Good Housekeeping as one of "five eco-labels that you can really trust," from USA Today as the "gold standard for animal welfare," and from Vanity Fair's "Most Reliable Label" list as "the gold standard of labeling."
The ASPCA has a rich history of involvement with HFAC. ASPCA President & CEO Ed Sayres has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2003, and ASPCA Executive Vice President Dr. Stephen Zawistowski, Ph.D., has sat on the Scientific Committee. Since 2007, the ASPCA has granted over half a million dollars to HFAC in support of its goal to improve life for farm animals. We hope to encourage the public and other organizations to recognize and contribute to this worthy cause.
For more information, please visit http://www.certifiedhumane.org
*The ISO is an international standard-setting body that has compiled wide-reaching standards from over 100 countries in order to create an international protocol.