Earlier
today, MFA filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission against Foster
Farms and American Humane Association (AHA) for misleading consumers by
claiming that Foster Farms chicken is “humane. The complaint is based on graphic
undercover video exposing workers punching, kicking, and scalding birds alive
at a Foster Farms chicken slaughterhouse that is certified as “humane by AHA.
MFA is asking the Commission to take action against AHA and Foster Farms for torturing
millions of animals and lying to consumers about it through placement of the
“American Humane Certified label on packages of chicken meat as well as false claims
made in advertisements and on websites.
The
shocking undercover footage, recorded at several Foster Farms facilities in
Fresno County, California, reveals:
- Workers punching and tormenting animals before violently slamming them into shackles
- Workers carelessly throwing baby chicks onto the ground with no regard for their welfare
- Evidence of birds scalded alive in hot water feather-removal tanks
- Chickens bred to grow so unnaturally fast they often suffer painful leg deformities and other injuries
You can watch
the undercover video here:
AHA “standards,
which cover more than 1 billion animals, fall far below those of virtually
every other humane certification program, and barely exceed even the minimal
standards set by the factory farming industry itself. According to Consumer Reports, AHA’s program “does
not require certain standards that consumers are likely to expect from a
welfare label, and producers can be certified without fulfilling 100% of the
requirements. In addition to Foster Farms, AHA has certified some of the
cruelest factory farms in North America, including Butterball and Hillandale Farms, which
have also been caught on video abusing animals.
AHA certified
producers like Foster Farms are permitted to cram hundreds of thousands of
birds inside dark, windowless sheds, with no access to sunlight or outdoor
space for their entire lives. AHA standards allow factory farms to mutilate
animals without painkillers, including burning off the tips of birds’ sensitive
beaks. Despite endorsing less cruel systems in 2010, AHA also continues to
allow Foster Farms and other producers to slaughter chickens using outdated
systems that dump, shackle, shock, and slit the throats of conscious
animals. Birds subjected to such killing systems routinely endure physical
violence from workers who throw, kick, and punch them.
Don’t buy the
lie! Please take action by signing the
petition to Foster Farms and AHA, telling
them to stop lying to consumers and torturing animals. And remember, the
best way to help chickens and other farmed animals is by leaving them off our
plates.
For more information, visit www.AmericanHumaneScam.com.