Most cattle are fed so they grow rapidly before slaughter in muddy, hot feedlots, crowded with hundreds or thousands of other cows, which causes them distress. They are fed a grain-based diet of corn and soy, one that is unnatural and harmful to their bodies. Alternatively, cows that are raised “grassfed” on Certified Humane^® farms are kept on pasture instead of being shipped to feedlots and they only feed on grass and forage, never grain.

Cruel forms of confinement like gestation crates and farrowing crates are always prohibited for Certified Humane pork products. Pigs raised under this certification are also given more space and enrichments like straw to encourage natural behaviors like rooting and nest building. Tail docking, a common procedure in which piglets’ tails are cut off without any pain relief, is prohibited.

ButcherBox’s new heirloom pasture-raised chickens are a world apart from the majority of chickens raised and sold in the United States. Most chickens raised for meat are the Cornish Cross breed, which has been genetically selected to grow at unnaturally fast and disproportionate rates. These “Frankenchickens,” as they’re often called, suffer from heart, muscle and foot injuries because their bodies cannot keep up with their unnatural growth. ButcherBox’s heirloom pasture-raised chickens are from a higher-welfare breed with inherently healthier genetics that enable the birds to enjoy a better quality of life. These birds are Global Animal Partnership^® (G.A.P.) Step 4 certified and Better Chicken Project certified, and they are compliant with the Better Chicken Commitment—a set of standards widely endorsed by many animal welfare organizations.

If you aren’t choosing the heirloom chicken, ButcherBox’s other chicken option is G.A.P. certified Step 3, which requires that birds have more indoor space than they would be given in a CAFO, or factory farm, and are given enrichments to help them exhibit their natural behaviors. They’re given access to the outdoors during daylight hours, too.