Modern food packaging is busy, packed to the brim with seals, nutrition facts, labels and more. Through all that noise it can be hard to parse the marketing from the information. American Humane is teaming up with Springer Mountain Farms to take consumers behind the label and break down what it means to be American Humane Certified^® in a new podcast hosted by food journalist Lisa Held.  

Since its founding in 1877, farm animal welfare has been central to American Humane’s programs and mission. More than 140 years ago, local humane organizations from around the country identified the need for a national voice for animals, mostly livestock, that were shipped over great distances and crossed state lines.

In the ensuing years, American Humane has worked to improve farm animal welfare whenever possible. For example, in 1878 we exposed unsanitary and inhumane conditions in slaughterhouses and started fighting a long legislative battle to fix these conditions. And after seven decades of advocacy, The Humane Slaughter Act was signed into law.

Twenty years ago, American Humane launched its farm certification program, initially called Free Farmed. Today, American Humane is the largest certifier of animal welfare in the world, helping improve the lives of some 1 billion animals every year.

When buying food, people want to do right by themselves, the people they are cooking for, and the animals on farms and ranches. More than 94 percent of consumers are concerned about farm animal welfare, according to an American Humane survey.

For those that want to dig deeper, and understand what humane agriculture is all about, listen along to Behind the Label with American Humane, produced by Heritage Radio. Episodes will be released on the first and third Tuesday of every month. To listen to Episode 1, visit: https://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/american-humanes-143-year-history/