Modern food packaging is busy, packed to the brim with marks, nutrition facts, labels and more. As a result, many folks are confused by the proliferation of packaging claims.
This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has wandered the aisles of a grocery store. Roughly three in four consumers say that there are “so many food certifications” that they “lose track” of what the different labels and marks mean.
So, we wanted to provide some clarity on the kinds of eggs that carry the American Humane Certified™ mark, which lets consumers know that the hens laying those eggs were raised humanely. We audit and certify three distinct systems in which farmers raise laying hens: cage free, free range and pasture raised.
Cage Free
All laying hens certified by American Humane are, at a minimum, cage free. These birds live in a barn where they can move freely and have littered floors that encourage natural behaviors like scratching and dust bathing. Some of the farmers we work with even use cage free housing systems that provide access to the outdoors.
Free Range
Free range eggs are one of the most widely marketed, and often misunderstood, marks in grocery stores. American Humane Certified free range eggs come from hens that have daytime access to an outdoor area of at least 21.8 square feet per hen. At night, they sleep in a barn that meets the cage free housing requirements.
But be wary, not all marks guarantee the same amount of space to their so-called “free range” laying hens. Some free range hens may only have 2 square feet of outdoor space per hen. Birds can still be humanely raised in that space, but it may not be fair to call 2 square feet “free range.”
Pasture Raised
Pasture raised hens are given a substantial amount of space – 108.9 square feet per hen of outdoor area during the daytime. With so much more added space comes added precautions – helping to ensure that hens have access to water, shade and other necessities wherever they are.
The standards that American Humane Certified farmers adhere to were developed with and are regularly reviewed by an independent, credible Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) made up of the world’s leading animal experts.
The American Humane Certified program includes rigorous standards that help ensure chickens and other farm animals are raised humanely, including adequate space, air and water quality, heating, lighting, shade and the animals’ ability to engage in natural behavior.
We recommend that all ethically minded consumers look for the American Humane Certified mark in stores. They can be assured that products carrying that mark meet high standards of animal welfare.
