CHICAGO – Whole Foods Market harbors the same hopes for its chickens many parents do for their kids: That they'll get plenty of fresh air, live at home until they reach maturity and avoid gaining weight so fast that they can't walk.
These are a few of the animal welfare practices that the retailer hopes to encourage with a humane meat-rating system being piloted in the South and scheduled for national expansion early next year. If the five-step, color-coded labeling system works as planned, it could allow shoppers at many supermarket chains unprecedented levels of specificity when it comes to choosing meat to match their principles.
Developed by the Global Animal Partnership, a nonprofit group made up of farmers, scientists, retailers, sustainability experts and animal welfare advocates, the rating system aims to address growing consumer concerns over how animals are raised for food.
It could also, not coincidentally, boost sales for certified farmers and participating stores, likely to include another unidentified major national retailer and restaurant group in the coming year, according to the nonprofit.
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