Our Program

We started with a simple premise: the humane treatment of farm animals shouldn’t be guesswork, but should instead be based on solid scientific research and proven best practices. But knowing and understanding the science and best practices isn’t enough- the implementation of these must be closely tied to a rigorous audit process by independent, highly trained and certified professional auditors, and to comprehensive training programs for all those engaged in the care and handling of farm animals.

American Humane's highly acclaimed program provides verifiable assurance that products carrying the American Humane Certified label have met rigorous, science-based animal welfare standards, and that the animals in our program were humanely raised throughout their lives. It is based on an annual on-site audit of more than 200 science-based standards developed by veterinarians, animal scientists, and practitioners, and reviewed by a renowned committee of international scientists.

American Humane created the original third party welfare certification program in the United States over ten years ago. It’s a relatively new movement that originated in the UK in the mid 90’s. Socially conscious people in the European Union and the U.S. began to see the triangle of consideration in their food choices: what's good for animals; what's good for me; and what's good for the planet. Awareness of animal welfare and the perceived link to the quality and safety of food has grown steadily in the U.S. and is driven by several factors, including the sensational media exposure of disturbing farm animal abuse, risk avoidance by major companies protecting brands by demanding welfare policies from their supply chains, the adoption of state legislation, and an implied social contract with people who have come to expect higher welfare standards from farmers and processors. Mainstream America has come to expect safe and affordable food while ensuring that animals are treated humanely.

Our program is the oldest, largest, fastest growing, and most comprehensive in the industry. Farms of all sizes and species voluntarily apply to be audited and certified via 3rd party independent physical audits. The auditors are ISO 9000 trained and PAACO (Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization) certified, and are each specialists in their respective species. This solutions and evidence based program is designed to promote continuous improvement, and to be scalable to hundreds of millions of animals. Additionally, the program provides online tools allowing the data to be published online and made available to retailers. Today we certify food producers representing over 135 million farm animals, including more than 90% of the nation’s “cage-free” egg production.

Please join our effort by supporting the producers, retailers, and foodservice operators that participate in the American Humane Certified program.