American Humane and GCB Foods Launch Innovative ‘Industry First’ With Live Video Monitoring of Cage-Free Egg Facility

American Humane Certified’s Three-Tier Audit System of Video Monitoring, Online Reporting and On-Site Inspection Improves Industry

Denver (September 29, 2008)

American Humane Certified™ announced today that GCB Foods LLC, a family owned, cage-free egg production company in Nashville, N.C., has been Certified with the program, and is also the first of American Humane Certified’s many existing food producers in the U.S. to operate under American Humane Certified’s new, three-tiered auditing system. The system allows American Humane to monitor animal welfare at the, facility remotely through real-time video monitoring in addition to performing annual on-site audits and observing the company’s production data on an ongoing basis through a proprietary online reporting system.

GCB Foods specializes in custom certified cage-free egg production on family owned and managed farms. The company is owned by Bob Pike, who has nearly three decades of experience in egg production, processing and marketing.

The new audit process is known as “True Humane Tracking” by American Humane. The video monitoring capability was developed for American Humane by HS3 Technologies Inc., a security solutions integrator and provider. The online reporting component was developed by CDC Software to ensure transparency, accountability, consistency and dependability in animal welfare. The exclusive audit process not only measures welfare compliance more frequently than annual audits, but it also provides important, continuous education and opportunities for improvement to the producers.

The American Humane Certified farm animal program is the nation’s original, independent certification and labeling program for humanely raised food. More than 50 million farm animals currently are under the protection of American Humane’s science-based program, and GCB adds nearly a million more through its operations. More information on American Humane Certified can be found at http://www.thehumanetouch.org/.

The American Humane online reporting feature uses small, hand-held computers that producers use for regular reporting from the field. Data is sent to American Humane to evaluate for variances or problems. Issues are communicated promptly to producers for quick assessment and correction. The system will also be used by American Humane Certified independent auditors for annual audits of producer’s facilities.

The video monitoring offers around-the-clock observation of barns, trucks transporting animals, and live areas of processing plants. Computers monitor the video feed for extraordinary events, alerting management and American Humane Certified so that corrective action can be taken immediately.

Online reporting and video monitoring will be installed in facilities with other species during the current beta testing phase. The True Humane Tracking system is expected to be in full use for all American Humane Certified producers and all species by the middle of next year.

A sample of online video monitoring is available upon request to American Humane Certified.

About American Humane

Founded in 1877, the American Humane Association is the only national organization dedicated to protecting both children and animals. Through a network of child and animal protection agencies and individuals, American Humane develops policies, legislation, curricula and training programs to protect children and animals from abuse, neglect and exploitation. The nonprofit organization, headquartered in Denver, raises awareness about The Link® between violence to people and violence to animals, as well as the benefits derived from the human-animal bond. American Humane’s regional office in Los Angeles is the exclusive authority behind the “No Animals Were Harmed”® end-credit disclaimer on film and TV productions, and American Humane’s office in Washington, D.C., is an advocate for child and animal protection at the federal and state levels. The American Humane® Certified™ farm animal program is the nation’s original independent certification and labeling program for humanely raised food (www.thehumanetouch.org). American Humane meets the strong, comprehensive standards of the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, has been awarded the Independent Charities of America’s “Best in America” Seal of Approval, has met the stringent standards for financial efficiency and accountability required by the American Institute of Philanthropy to qualify as a Top-Rated Charity, and has received a 3-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s premier independent charity evaluator. Visit www.americanhumane.org to learn more.

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