Farm Forward just conducted a survey of over 1,000 Americans' perceptions of common meat and dairy labels, and the results are in: humanewashing is rampant at stores from ALDI to Whole Foods. Find out how your knowledge stacks up: test your humane IQ today!

The new survey corroborates a growing body of research conducted by the ASPCA, Consumer Reports, and others, providing damning evidence that these marketing tactics, known as humanewashing, have succeeded in persuading consumers that animal welfare claims like “cage-free,” industry-backed labels like One Health Certified (OHC) and American Humane Certified (AHC), and third-party animal welfare certifications like Global Animal Partnership (GAP) all indicate animals were raised in high-welfare conditions. Unfortunately, the grim reality is that more than 99 percent of animal products come from factory farms, including products approved by welfare certifications or making claims like “cage-free” or “natural” on their packaging. 

Among our key findings:

• Americans largely cannot distinguish between independent certifications and those devised by industry. Survey findings paint a disturbing picture of rampant humanewashing by even the most trusted retailers, like Whole Foods, whose products are GAP-certified.
• Those who reported buying humane-labeled meat more often were also more confused about the meaning of labels like OHC and GAP.
• On measures like whether animals are raised on pasture, whether animals are genetically modified for rapid growth, physical mutilations, and more, Americans want higher welfare standards on farms and overestimate how much these certifications ensure.

Find out whether you've been deceived by certifications like GAP and OHC by taking our new humanewashing quiz today. 

Then, share your results with your friends on social media! You can find a helpful toolkit and graphics here.

Thank you for joining us in this crucial work to combat consumer deception in our food system.