Farm Forward

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Farm Forward is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to promote conscientious eating, reduce farmed animal suffering, and advance sustainable agriculture. Farm Forward aims to eliminate the most harmful practices in intensive animal agriculture, increase the market share of humane and sustainable animal agriculture, and raise awareness about the cultural significance of animal agriculture. [1] [2]

Contents

Programs

Eating Animals

Eating Animals is a nonfiction book promoted by Farm Forward and written by American author Jonathan Safran Foer, who serves as a member on Farm Forward's Board of Directors. [3] The book was written in close collaboration with Farm Forward CEO Dr. Aaron Gross, an Associate Professor of Theology and Religious studies at the University of San Diego, as well as Ben Goldsmith, Senior Strategist at Farm Forward. [4] [5] [6]

Eating Animals presents a discussion of what it means to eat animal products in an industrialized world where intensive animal agriculture, also known as factory farming, has become the norm. Framed as Foer's personal journey to decide whether his newly born son should eat meat or not, the book explores themes surrounding the complexities of food ethics, the role of food in the shaping of personal identity, and the philosophical implications of eating animals. More specifically, it explores these themes as they relate to factory farming. [7] A Los Angeles Times article states that the book provides "the kind of wisdom that... deserves a place at the table with our greatest philosophers." [8] In a Huffington Post article, Natalie Portman cites the book as the source for her change "from a twenty-year vegetarian to a vegan activist." [9] A New York Magazine article criticizes the book as irritatingly inconclusive, as Foer "settles on the safest possible non-conclusion: vegetarianism is probably the best option." [10]

Farm Forward helped adapt the book into the documentary Eating Animals [11] (2018), directed by Christopher Quinn and produced and narrated by Jonathan Safran Foer and Natalie Portman. According to Newsweek, Natalie Portman worked on the film “in collaboration with the director Christopher Dillon Quinn and nonprofit Farm Forward.” [12] Additionally, Farm Forward CEO Aaron Gross served as a screenwriter for the film. [13] Like the book, the film explores the consequences of factory farming and its relation to animal rights, human rights, environmentalism, and the intersections between all three. [14]

Leadership Circle

The Leadership Circle program consults with large institutions, including universities, hospitals and businesses, to help them source animal products with third-party higher welfare certifications. Members can join the Leadership Circle if they agree to source 100% of at least one animal protein from select third-party welfare certifications. In February 2018, Farm Forward received a grant to continue to support the work of the Leadership Circle. [15] Leadership Circle members include Bon Appetit Management Company, Airbnb, Dr. Bronner's, Hazon, UC Berkeley and Villanova University. [16] [17] [18]

Animal Welfare Certification

Buying Poultry

Buying Poultry is a program that aims to bring transparency from the poultry industry to its consumers. The New York Times quotes Farm Forward Executive Director Andrew Decoriolis, encapsulating the reason behind Farm Forward's Buying Poultry program: “Not all [animal welfare] certification seals are created equal... Companies can essentially pick the standards that are the easiest for them to meet.” [19] To pose a solution to this problem, Farm Forward launched Buying Poultry in 2013, a program funded by a kick-starter campaign and a grant by the ASPCA. Buying Poultry is a national database that lists poultry products with their welfare labels or certifications. The website describes what these labels mean in terms of animal welfare in order to inform consumers about their poultry purchases. The database also provides grades for poultry products—ranging from A to F—in accordance with their labels and certifications. The primary aim of Buying Poultry is to increase the market share of higher welfare products. [20] [21] [22] [23]

Among higher welfare certifications for poultry raised for meat, Farm Forward views the heritage label as the most important in terms of animal welfare. A heritage bird, according to the Livestock Conservancy, must be recognized as an American Poultry Association Standard breed, be able to mate naturally, live a long, productive, and pasture based life, and have a moderate to slow growth rate. [24] Farm Forward and Buying Poultry work to maintain a clear and robust definition of heritage poultry—one that precludes the possibility of any industry loopholes. The primary concern for poultry welfare in today's farming industry lies in the genetics of the birds, as modern breeding techniques often lead to suffering for chickens. [25] [26] [27] [28]

Farm Forward aims to create a legal definition of heritage poultry in order to prevent the term from being used loosely for breeds that do not meet the genetic requirements. According to Andrew Decoriolis, “heritage breeds are the only breeds we think can truly be separated from the factory farmed industry,” and creating a certification for the term “will give us some legal protection to police the term.” [29]

Global Animal Partnership

Farm Forward CEO Dr. Aaron Gross serves on the board of Global Animal Partnership (GAP), a nonprofit launched in 2008 with the aim of improving farm animal welfare. [30] The organization administers a 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Standards program meant to encourage producers to gradually increase animal welfare measures in their operations. The program rates welfare on a scale of 1 to 5+ in accordance with certain criteria. The standards were created by a team of scientists, animal advocates, farmers and certifiers. Farms that enroll in the GAP program are audited by a third-party agency to ensure adherence to regulations without any conflicts of interest. The overarching goal of GAP is to increase enrollment in the program, and raise consumer awareness about the importance of animal welfare. [31] [32]

The GAP Program has received criticism from the animal agriculture industry. According to Drovers, a beef industry magazine, GAP is controlled largely by the HSUS, Farm Forward, ASPCA and CIWF whose ultimate goal is to gain control over production standards and practices. The article advises avoiding GAP Standards and directing consumers toward other certifications. [33] Another criticism comes from a Beef Magazine article which states that GAP standards seem to have been made by someone who “grew up without much, if any, contact with animals.” Additionally, the article views the GAP standards prohibition against antibiotics or other drugs as outside of the domain of animal welfare, calling it instead an “elitist issue” serving consumers who can afford more expensive meat. [34]

Religious outreach

Jewish Initiative for Animals

Farm Forward launched the Jewish Initiative for Animals (JIFA) in January 2016 with the aim of educating Jewish communities on the ethics of animal agriculture and encouraging Jewish institutions to promote the importance of animal welfare in Jewish values. [35] [36] According to JIFA's mission statement, JIFA “supports innovative programs to turn the Jewish value of compassion for animals into action while building ethical and sustainable Jewish American communities in the process.” [37]

JIFA collaborates with Jewish nonprofit organizations such as camps, synagogues, youth groups, community centers, schools, college programs and others to produce educational resources that spark inquiry into how Jewish values should interact with how we treat animals. JIFA also does consulting with institutions that serve animal products to assist them in lowering meat consumption and finding higher-welfare sources. JIFA's aim is to encourage Jewish institutions to develop ethical food policies that reflect animal welfare, or tzaar baalei chayim, as a core Jewish value.

JIFA aims to ensure that those who wish to keep a kosher diet and support higher welfare animal products are given the resources to do so. [38] In November 2016 JIFA partnered with kosher meat distributors to bring the a run of kosher certified heritage breed chickens to market for the first time in approximately 50 years. Unlike conventional poultry, heritage breed chickens and turkeys are able to achieve highest possible welfare outcomes. JIFA also helped bring educational heritage flocks to Jewish educational and production farms, where educators teach about the impacts of factory farming in relation to Jewish values. [39] [40]

JIFA also opposes certified kosher products that it views as inhumane. In 2016, JIFA put out a call against the use of shackle and hoist slaughter by a number of certified kosher slaughterhouses. They called upon the groups implicated in such slaughter to end this practice, and to transition to upright slaughter. Additionally, JIFA called upon Israelis and members of Jewish communities to boycott these products, and encouraged Americans to voice their opposition to such practices. The ultimate goal of these calls are to end of the practice of shackle and hoist slaughter. [41]

In May, 2017, Israel's agricultural ministry mandated an end to imports of beef products that involved shackle and hoist slaughter. [42] In June, 2018 the Orthodox Union told its beef producers in South America to end its use of shackle and hoist slaughter. [43] [44]

Faith in Food

In 2015, Farm Forward launched the Faith in Food initiative. This initiative is meant to encourage religious leaders and institutions to explore the religious meaning and significance of factory farming. The initiative also encourages these leaders and institutions to create ethical food policies that address animal welfare in accordance with their specific faiths and values. [45]

Farm Forward has recognized and supported Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter [46] [47] and Dr. David Clough [48] as Faith in Food Fellows. Rev. Dr. Carter's work explores the intersectionality of factory farming and racial injustice, with this work being an expression of his faith. [49] Dr. Clough received support from Farm Forward for his book On Animals: Volume 1: Systematic Theology. [50] Clough also received support from Farm Forward to launch the CreatureKind project, a project that works within churches to help Christians address animal welfare in factory farming. [48]

Related Research Articles

Kashrut is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the term that in Sephardic or Modern Hebrew is pronounced kashér, meaning "fit". Food that may not be consumed, however, is deemed treif, also spelled treyf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poultry</span> Domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, meat, or feathers

Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of harvesting animal products such as meat, eggs or feathers. The practice of raising poultry is known as poultry farming. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes. The term also includes waterfowls of the family Anatidae but does not include wild birds hunted for food known as game or quarry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polyface Farm</span> Farm in Swoope, Virginia

Polyface Farm is a farm located in rural Swoope, Virginia, run by Joel Salatin and his family. The farm is driven using unconventional methods with the goal of "emotionally, economically and environmentally enhancing agriculture". This farm is where Salatin developed and put into practice many of his most significant agricultural methods. These include direct marketing of meats and produce to consumers, pastured-poultry, grass-fed beef and the rotation method which makes his farm more like an ecological system than conventional farming. Polyface Farm operates a farm store on-site where consumers go to pick up their products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal husbandry</span> Management, selective breeding, and care of farm animals by humans

Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, management, production, nutrition, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starting with the Neolithic Revolution when animals were first domesticated, from around 13,000 BC onwards, predating farming of the first crops. By the time of early civilisations such as ancient Egypt, cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs were being raised on farms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domestic turkey</span> Species of bird

The domestic turkey is a large fowl, one of the two species in the genus Meleagris and the same species as the wild turkey. Although turkey domestication was thought to have occurred in central Mesoamerica at least 2,000 years ago, recent research suggests a possible second domestication event in the area that is now the southwestern United States between 200 BC and 500 AD. However, all of the main domestic turkey varieties today descend from the turkey raised in central Mexico that was subsequently imported into Europe by the Spanish in the 16th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broiler</span> Chicken bred for meat

Breed broiler is any chicken that is bred and raised specifically for meat production. Most commercial broilers reach slaughter weight between four and six weeks of age, although slower growing breeds reach slaughter weight at approximately 14 weeks of age. Typical broilers have white feathers and yellowish skin. Broiler or sometimes broiler-fryer is also used sometimes to refer specifically to younger chickens under 2.0 kilograms, as compared with the larger roasters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Safran Foer</span> American novelist

Jonathan Safran Foer is an American novelist. He is known for his novels Everything Is Illuminated (2002), Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2005), Here I Am (2016), and for his non-fiction works Eating Animals (2009) and We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast (2019). He teaches creative writing at New York University.

<i>Shechita</i> Ritual slaughter of an animal in Jewish law

In Judaism, shechita is ritual slaughtering of certain mammals and birds for food according to kashrut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free range</span> Method of farming where animals can roam freely outdoors

Free range denotes a method of farming husbandry where the animals, for at least part of the day, can roam freely outdoors, rather than being confined in an enclosure for 24 hours each day. On many farms, the outdoors ranging area is fenced, thereby technically making this an enclosure, however, free range systems usually offer the opportunity for the extensive locomotion and sunlight that is otherwise prevented by indoor housing systems. Free range may apply to meat, eggs or dairy farming.

Animal Outlook, formerly known as Compassion Over Killing (COK), is a nonprofit animal advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. It is headed since May 2021 by Executive Director Cheryl Leahy, who succeeded Erica Meier. Formed in 1995, as a high school club, their primary campaigns are to advocate against factory farming and promote vegan eating. While the group welcomes those who are interested in animal welfare who eat meat, it encourages a transition to a plant-based diet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosher style</span>

Kosher style refers to foods commonly associated with Jewish cuisine but which may or may not actually be kosher. It is a stylistic designation rather than one based on the laws of kashrut. In some U.S. states, the use of this term in advertising is illegal as a misleading term under consumer protection laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legal aspects of ritual slaughter</span>

The legal aspects of ritual slaughter include the regulation of slaughterhouses, butchers, and religious personnel involved with traditional shechita (Jewish) and dhabiha (Islamic). Regulations also may extend to butchery products sold in accordance with kashrut and halal religious law. Governments regulate ritual slaughter, primarily through legislation and administrative law. In addition, compliance with oversight of ritual slaughter is monitored by governmental agencies and, on occasion, contested in litigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intensive animal farming</span> Branch of agriculture

Intensive animal farming, industrial livestock production, and macro-farms, also known as factory farming, is a type of intensive agriculture, specifically an approach to animal husbandry designed to maximize production while minimizing costs. To achieve this, agribusinesses keep livestock such as cattle, poultry, and fish at high stocking densities, at large scale, and using modern machinery, biotechnology, and global trade. The main products of this industry are meat, milk and eggs for human consumption. There are issues regarding whether intensive animal farming is sustainable in the social long-run given its costs in resources. Analysts also raise issues about its ethics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poultry farming</span> Part of animal husbandry

Poultry farming is the form of animal husbandry which raises domesticated birds such as chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese to produce meat or eggs for food. Poultry – mostly chickens – are farmed in great numbers. More than 60 billion chickens are killed for consumption annually. Chickens raised for eggs are known as layers, while chickens raised for meat are called broilers.

<i>Eating Animals</i> 2009 book by Jonathan Safran Foer

Eating Animals is the third book by the American novelist Jonathan Safran Foer, published in 2009. A New York Times best-seller, Eating Animals provides a dense discussion of what it means to eat animals in an industrialized world. It was written in close collaboration with Farm Forward, a US nonprofit organization promoting veganism and sustainable agriculture.

Tza'ar ba'alei chayim, literally "suffering of living creatures", is a Jewish commandment which bans causing animals unnecessary suffering. This concept is not clearly enunciated in the written Torah, but was accepted by the Talmud as being a biblical mandate. It is linked in the Talmud from the biblical law requiring people to assist in unloading burdens from animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empire Kosher</span> Largest kosher meat processor

Empire Kosher Poultry, Inc. is the largest producer of kosher poultry in the United States. The company's headquarters, hatchery and processing facility are located in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania.

Jewish vegetarianism is a commitment to vegetarianism that is connected to Judaism, Jewish ethics or Jewish identity. Jewish vegetarians often cite Jewish principles regarding animal welfare, environmental ethics, moral character, and health as reasons for adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heritage Foods USA</span>

Heritage Foods USA is an American heritage meat distribution company with offices in Brooklyn, New York. It was formed in 2001 as the sales and marketing arm of Slow Food USA — a non-profit organization founded by Patrick Martins, dedicated to celebrating regional cuisines and ingredients. The Heritage Turkey Project, which helped double the population of heritage turkeys in the United States and upgraded the Bourbon Red turkey from “rare” to “watch” status on conservation lists, was Heritage Foods USA’s first project aimed at heritage breed preservation. In 2004, it became an independent company selling heritage breed meat to top tiered restaurants and consumers.

Aaron S. Gross is an American historian of religions who focuses on modern Jewish ethics, the study of animals and religion, and food and religion. He serves as a professor of theology and religious studies at the University of San Diego. He has served as cochair of the American Academy of Religion's Animals and Religion group and as president of the Society of Jewish Ethics.

References

  1. ↑ "Farm Forward, Inc. - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  2. ↑ "Mission". Farm Forward.
  3. ↑ "Board of Directors". Farm Forward.
  4. ↑ "Jonathan Safran Foer and Aaron Gross on (Not) Eating Animals - Chicago Humanities Festival". www.chicagohumanities.org. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  5. ↑ "USD Directory - - Aaron Gross - University of San Diego". www.sandiego.edu. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  6. ↑ Foer, Jonathan Safran (2009). Eating Animals. Little, Brown and Co. p. 270. ISBN   9780316072670.
  7. ↑ Eating Animals. 2017-06-27.
  8. ↑ Reynolds, Susan Salter. "'Eating Animals' by Jonathan Safran Foer". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  9. ↑ Portman, Natalie (2010-03-18). "Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals Turned Me Vegan". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  10. ↑ Anderson, Sam (Nov 1, 2009). "Hungry?". NYMag.com. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  11. ↑ "Eating Animals - Official Movie Site". Eating Animals - Official Movie Site. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  12. ↑ Schonfeld, Zach (2018-06-15). "Jonathan Safran Foer on the cruelty of factory farming: "There is no defense"". Newsweek. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  13. ↑ "'Eating Animals': Film Review | Telluride 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  14. ↑ Eating Animals (2018) , retrieved 2019-01-21
  15. ↑ "Farm Forward — Leadership Circle (2018)". Open Philanthropy Project. 2018-02-14. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  16. ↑ "Changing the Way Animals are Raised for Food". Hazon. 2017-10-18. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  17. ↑ "Bon Appétit and Clients Join Farm Forward's New Leadership Circle". Bon Appétit Management Company. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  18. ↑ "Villanova University Awarded Membership in Farm Forward's Leadership Circle | Villanova University". www1.villanova.edu. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  19. ↑ Strom, Stephanie (2017-01-31). "What to Make of Those Animal-Welfare Labels on Meat and Eggs". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  20. ↑ McKenna, Maryn (2013-05-31). "How Do You Know Which Chicken to Buy? This Kickstarter Might Help". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  21. ↑ "Want to Find Sustainable Poultry? There's an App for That". Civil Eats. 2015-11-19. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  22. ↑ Shaw, Jessica Marmor. "Grade A chicken? Here’s a new way to size up poultry". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  23. ↑ "BuyingPoultry Helps Eaters Make Informed Choices". Food+Tech Connect. 2015-12-23. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  24. ↑ "The Livestock Conservancy". livestockconservancy.org. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  25. ↑ "A Growing Problem, Selective Breeding in the Chicken Industry: The Case for Slower growth" (PDF). ASPCA. November 2015.
  26. ↑ Webster, A. Bruce (2004). "Welfare Implications of Avian Osteoporosis". Poultry Science. 83 (2): 184–192. doi: 10.1093/ps/83.2.184 . PMID   14979568.
  27. ↑ Julian, Richard (2005). "Production and Growth Related Disorders and Other Metabolic Diseases of Poultry – A review". The Veterinary Journal. 169 (3): 350–369. doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2004.04.015. PMID   15848778.
  28. ↑ "An Excerpt from Chapter 7: Chickens and other Poultry". www.grandin.com. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  29. ↑ "Who Gets to Define Heritage Breed Chickens?". Civil Eats. 2018-06-06. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  30. ↑ "About Global Animal Partnership - Improving Farm Animal Welfare Step-by-Step". Global Animal Partnership. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  31. ↑ "Global Animal Partnership - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  32. ↑ "The 5-Step® Animal Welfare Program". Global Animal Partnership. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  33. ↑ "Commentary: Don't Get Caught in the Global Animal Partnership Trap". Drovers. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  34. ↑ "Whole Foods' Welfare Ratings Have Big Credibility Gap". Beef Magazine. 2011-04-22. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  35. ↑ "Jewish Initiative for Animals | SD JEWISH JOURNAL". sdjewishjournal.com. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  36. ↑ "The country's tastiest chicken will soon be kosher". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2016-01-17. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  37. ↑ "JIFA". www.jewishinitiativeforanimals.org. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  38. ↑ "The Moral Future of Kosher Meat". The Forward. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  39. ↑ Oster, Marcy (December 15, 2016). "Jewish Butchers Hawk Kosher Heritage Chickens". The Forward. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  40. ↑ "Now you can buy kosher artisanal chicken". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2016-12-15. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  41. ↑ "Disturbed by Inhumane Kosher Slaughter? Here Are Four Things You Can Do". The Forward. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  42. ↑ "Israel mandates more humane slaughter methods for beef imports". www.timesofisrael.com. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  43. ↑ Dolsten, Josefin. "Orthodox Union says no more beef slaughtered with 'shackle and hoist'". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  44. ↑ "Orthodox Union to stop certifying kosher beef slaughtered using controversial method". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2018-07-24. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  45. ↑ Eberle, Erin. "Faith in Food: New Ethical Food Initiatives". Farm Forward.
  46. ↑ "Christopher Carter, Author at Syndicate". Syndicate. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
  47. ↑ "Our Team". Encompass. Archived from the original on 2022-04-22. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
  48. 1 2 "Highlights from Our First Ten Months". CreatureKind. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
  49. ↑ Carter, Christopher. "The Spirituality of Food Justice". Patheos.
  50. ↑ Clough, David L. (2012-02-02). On Animals: Volume I: Systematic Theology. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. viii. ISBN   9780567040169.
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