Online grocery delivery services are more popular than ever, but it can often be confusing or difficult for animal welfare-conscious consumers (who would normally read labels closely) to know if their purchases are welfare-certified. But thanks to online grocer Thrive Market, shopping humanely just got easier. Thrive is now exclusively offering beef and chicken from welfare-certified farms where animals had outdoor or pasture access.  This platform also makes it easy for animal-focused consumers to find plant-based products with dedicated filters.

By having plant-based filters and only offering beef and chicken audited by  Global Animal Partnership and Certified Humane, Thrive makes it easy for shoppers to avoid inhumane factory farming and instead invest in a kinder food system. These welfare certifications set standards that create better lives for animals than what is afforded on industrial farms, requiring more space, light and fresh air, as well as responsible antibiotic use.  To learn more about the benefits of these meaningful animal welfare certifications, check out the ASPCA’s Shop With Your Heart label guide.

Additionally, Thrive supports the global animal welfare movement to improve the lives of broiler chickens through the Better Chicken Commitment. Thrive is one of just three US food retailers so far to take this stand for the 9 billion+ broiler chickens raised nationwide each year.

“By committing this deeply to the transparency and standards of meaningful welfare certifications for farm animals, Thrive Market is setting a new bar in the grocery space,” said Nancy Roulston, Senior Director of Corporate Policy and Animal Science. “The team at Thrive are exemplifying how food retailers can use their procurement power to make farm animals’ lives better and shopping easier.”

"Animal welfare is one of the most important things I look at when building Thrive Market's Meat & Seafood programs”, said Mike Hacaga, Meat and Seafood Product Innovation Lead at Thrive. “Being a triple bottom line business, we will never prioritize profits over animal welfare and Thrive Market will always demand programs that adhere to the strictest requirements of Global Animal Partnership or Certified Humane. In 2020, we were proud to be the largest grocer ever to receive B-Corp certification and we're dedicated to leading the way for the grocery industry as it pertains to ethical sourcing, quality standards and overall environmental responsibility."

Thrive and the ASPCA have been working together to advance animal welfare since 2018 and we have recognized Global Animal Partnership and Certified Humane as some of the strongest welfare certifications on the market since the launch of our Shop With Your Heart program in 2016. You can find Thrive on the Shop With Your Heart Brand List along with other animal welfare-conscious companies.

Ask your favorite grocery store to adopt the Better Chicken Commitment and offer welfare certified products by using our Bring Your Store On Board resource! For in-the-moment guidance from an ASPCA expert while out grocery shopping, we invite you to sign up for our ShopKind Helpline. If you have suggestions on how the ASPCA can help farmers, businesses and consumers, please reach out to [email protected].