Breaking: Farm Forward’s antibiotics testing program has uncovered drugs—including a banned antibiotic—in Global Animal Partnership’s (GAP) Animal Welfare Certified™ meat from Whole Foods. And this isn’t just a few bad apples: a peer-reviewed study has just confirmed rampant drug residues in GAP cattle and throughout the “antibiotic-free” supply chain. TAKE ACTION: Urge Whole Foods to end its humanewashing and take factory farming off its shelves.

Last week, Farm Forward revealed that we found, among other drugs, monensin, an antibiotic used to promote growth, in USDA Organic and GAP-certified beef at Whole Foods—despite the programs’ strict prohibition of antibiotics. Then, the Washington Post revealed the findings of a study in Science that sampled more than 10 percent of the entire US supply of “antibiotic-free” cattle and found widespread residues of medically important antibiotics. Nearly 25 percent of GAP-certified animals in the study came from feedlots where all of the animals tested were positive for a prohibited antibiotic.  

Farm Forward investigated Animal Welfare Certified™ meat from Whole Foods because it’s perceived to be the gold standard in sustainability and animal welfare. Whole Foods touts that its meat contains “no antibiotics, ever”—yet the vast majority of the animal products it sells come from factory farms, which depend on these drugs to keep animals alive in cramped, filthy conditions that would otherwise kill them. If we can’t trust GAP and Whole Foods, what does that mean about the rest of the meat industry?

It’s time for Whole Foods to stop hiding this grim reality from its customers. Join us in holding Whole Foods accountable for humanewashing—if the truth is too ugly to stomach, Whole Foods should take all factory farmed products off its shelves. Sign our petition today!

After taking action, share our campaign with everyone you know on Twitter and Facebook. Thank you for joining us in the fight for transparency in our food system.