WASHINGTON — In response to many ongoing requests asking whether Animal
Welfare Approved products are available in Whole Foods Market stores, the answer
is YES! This holiday season, in addition to purchasing your AWA meat directly
from the farm, CSA, farmers’ market, co-op, buying club, and other retailers,
you can also shop at more than 130 Whole Foods Market locations and find Animal
Welfare Approved grassfed beef and pastured pork products.
While Animal Welfare Approved farmers supply numerous Whole Foods Market
locations, typically it has been difficult for consumers to find Animal Welfare
Approved products at these stores because most AWA products will lack the
familiar AWA label. And since Whole Foods Market locations offer a variety of
meat products from a host of different sources, consumers need to ask for Animal
Welfare Approved products by the specific farm or farm group.
Studies have shown that meat from grassfed/pasture-raised animals is higher in
Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins E and C while being lower in fat, cholesterol
and calories. Grassfed/pasture-based farming has also been shown to be more
environmentally responsible and can remove the risk of E. Coli contamination in
meat. Animals on AWA farms are raised with the highest welfare standards,
according to the World Society for the Protection of Animals.
AWA products can be found at Whole Foods Market locations in 26 states in the
Northeast, mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest and South. A state-by-state list of
Whole Foods Market stores that stock AWA meats, and specifically what you should
ask for at the meat counter, is available on www.AnimalWelfareApproved.org/whole-foods/.
Since the AWA products lack AWA labels, asking the butcher for meat from a
specific farm is the key to ensuring Animal Welfare Approved meat is a part of
your meaningful holiday meal.
Consumers can find a searchable database of other Animal Welfare Approved
products on the AWA website.
Animal Welfare Approved audits and certifies family farms that raise their
animals with the highest animal welfare standards, outdoors, on pasture or
range. The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has lauded these
standards for two years running as being the most stringent when compared to
other third-party certification programs. Visit www.AnimalWelfareApproved.org
for a searchable database of approved farms and restaurants, shops and markets
where our farmers’ products are sold. Choose the one independent food label that
means healthy, safe, environmentally responsible and humanely raised.
Source:
Animal Welfare Approved
