Animal friendly eating doesn’t have to mean giving up all meat and become a vegetarian. One of the ways we can help animals is by understanding how they are bred, reared and killed for food and by making animal-friendly choices when we eat. If we choose to eat in an animal-friendly way, we have the power to change the way animals are treated every time we shop.
This page will help you to understand food labelling and why animal-friendly diets are important. It will also give you tips so you can start eating animal-friendly.
Know what you're eating – food labelling
Food labelling is not always the easiest thing to understand, some people aren’t sure what the labels mean and which products they should buy. This guide to food labelling should make things a little easier.
Organic, free-range and freedom foods are all labels to show that animals have been bred, reared and killed in higher welfare standards. This means that the animals involved will have had a better life than ones produced in other welfare standards. If your food is not labelled then animals used to make it won’t have had the best life that they could have.
Freedom Foods - Is the RSPCA farm assurance and food scheme. The RSPCA believe that all animals reared for food, whether fish, sheep or chickens, deserve to have a happy, healthy life. The Freedom Food scheme covers every stage of an animal’s life, on the farm, in transportation, and in slaughter to ensure that the farmer enforces strict welfare standards.
Organic – Organic farming is better for you, animals, and the environment. By eating organic meat you can be sure that you are not consuming antibiotics, hormones, drugs or GMOs, which are all things fed to non-organic animals. Animals on organic farms are healthier and have more room to move about since all organic farms are free-range. Organic farms use fewer chemicals such as pesticides and chemical fertilisers which is good for the environment, since these can damage wildlife, and pollute soil and water.
Free-range - In free-range production animals have access to outdoor spaces for at least part of their life, where they are free to roam and graze or forage for food.
Why is eating animal-friendly important?
Animals will have a happier, healthier life - Cutting down the amount of meat you eat and other animal products you consume or use will reduce demand and make it easier for farmers to use more animal friendly farming methods.
Environment - Eating lots of animal products is also having a negative effect on the environment. Rearing animals for food produces greenhouse gases, pollution, acid rain and damage to the ozone layer.
Health - There is also evidence to show that eating organic, free-range and freedom foods products are healthier for you. Meat that has been produced in higher welfare standards will contain less fat and fewer toxins and chemical additives.
Tips for an animal-friendly diet
- Have a meat free day once a week
- Why not try making spag bol, or sausages and mash with vegetarian alternatives or without the meat
- Try to buy free range, organic, or freedom foods where you can
- Show your support for animal welfare and Share your OneKind Act.
- Tell other people about your animal-friendly diet and how they can get involved.
This information has been developed in partnership with OneKind – HumanKind. AnimalKind. OneKind.
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