Two New Products Qualify for "Certified Humane Raised and Handled" Label

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Thursday, 30 October 2003

ASPCA-supported product label supports its first beef supplier and egg producer.

Consumers shopping for meat and eggs from animals raised under humane conditions now have more options as two new producers are receiving certification to use the "Certified Humane Raised and Handled" label. The producers, Meyer Natural Angus and Pete and Gerry's Eggs, mark the labels' first national beef supplier and the first egg producer.

Meyer Natural Angus is a nationally distributed beef producer based in Lincoln, Neb. Pete and Gerry's Eggs, based in Monroe, N.H., produces eggs under the Pete and Gerry's Organic Eggs brand and the Nellie's Nest Cage-Free Eggs brand for retail stores in the northeastern United States.

Certification of both companies follows rigorous on-site inspections by HFAC professionals. The "Certified Humane Raised and Handled" label, unveiled in May 2003, assures consumers that a meat, poultry, egg or dairy product has been produced according to HFAC's precise standards for humane farm animal treatment. Animals must receive a nutritious diet without antibiotics or hormones and must be raised with shelter, resting areas and space sufficient to support natural behavior. Ten companies are now certified to use the new label.

HFAC is supported by the ASPCA. Meyer Natural Angus is distributed in U.S. restaurants and retail stores, including Whole Foods Markets in the Northeast, Florida, Texas and Chicago; Andronico's, Draeger's, Mollie Stone's and PW Markets in Northern California; and Shaw's, Wegman's and Roche Bros. in the Northeast. For more information about Meyer Natural Angus, visit the company's website, www.meyernaturalangus.com.

Pete and Gerry's Organic Eggs and Nellie's Nest Cage-Free Eggs are sold throughout the eastern United States in stores that include Trader Joe's, Stop & Shop, Shaw's, Hannaford's, Market Basket, Price Chopper, Pathmark, King Kullen, Key Food stores, Gristidie's, Sloan's and Associated Food Stores. For more information, see www.peteandgerrys.com.

HFAC is a national nonprofit organization supported by the ASPCA. More information can be found at HFAC's website, www.certifiedhumane.org.

For more information, or to contact American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, see their website at: www.aspca.org