No cages, crates, or feedlots are permitted. Animals live primarily on pasture with lots of space to range. Slower-growing breeds that thrive outdoors are required.

No cages, crates, or feedlots. Animals have continuous and open access to pasture. New dairies at the baseline 'Bronze' level have two years to transition from cow tie stalls and individual calf housing. Only breeds that thrive outdoors are allowed.

(5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Program): This
five-step rating system ranges from Step
1 (no crates, no cages and no crowding)
to Step 5+ (animals spend their entire
life on pasture on the same farm).

No cages or crates, but feedlots are permitted. Access to the outdoors is not required for pigs and poultry but is required for other species. Slower-growing breeds are not required.

No cages and crates but feedlots may be used. Animals do not necessarily have access to pasture, though they will have access to some outdoor areas. Breeds that thrive outdoors are not required.

This certification label is less meaningful to animals. Some cages, crates are still allowed, and feedlots are permitted. Animals do not necessarily have outdoor access and healthier, slower-growing breeds are not required.

As of August 2024, the USDA defines “grass fed” as beef cattle, lamb, or sheep fed 100% grass - but no grain, after being weaned from their mother’s milk. These animals cannot be confined to a feedlot and must have continuous access to pasture during the growing season. The USDA also requires an on-pack statement explaining what Grass-Fed claim means for that product.

To ensure this claim is regularly verified, look for products certified by Certified Grassfed by A Greener World, Regenerative Organic Certified, American Grassfed Association, or Audubon Conservation Ranching Certified.

If you are looking for animals raised on pasture or outdoors, your best bet is to look for “pasture-raised.” The USDA strongly recommends “pasture-raised” animals spend most of their life on pasture covered with grass or other rooted vegetation. However, it’s important to note that the definition may vary between farms, and no regular independent inspections are not required.

This on-pack claim has no relevance to
animal welfare. It is applied even when animals are raised indoors on crowded factory farms.

This claim means they are not fed animal byproducts, but has little relevance to animal welfare.

There is no legal definition for “humane," and therefore this on-pack claim is often applied to products from animals kept indoors on crowded factory farms.

This is a meaningful claim for egg-laying hens, but not chickens raised for meat (also called “broiler chickens”). In the United States, no broiler chickens are kept in cages.

This is a meaningless claim for poultry and pigs as it is illegal to give hormones to these animals in the U.S.

The USDA now requires “free range” animals (most often poultry) to have continuous, free access to the outdoors, but the amount and quality of outdoor space is unclear. Regular independent inspections are not required of “free range” farms.

Terms like these have no legal definition in the U.S. The only way to be sure you’re actually getting a higher-welfare product is to look for the meaningful third-party certifications listed on this page, which audit farms for adherence to higher animal welfare requirements.