Consumers Want Labels

Most consumers support the idea of mandatory animal welfare labels on meat and dairy products, according to a new poll conducted by Kansas State University and Michigan State University. The study included more than 2,000 Americans, and found that more than 61 percent of participants wanted farmers that use gestation crates for pigs or battery cages for chickens to be required to label their products. Additionally, the data indicated that consumers could be willing to pay up to 20 percent more for meat or dairy that was labeled to convey that it was not made using these practices. In several states, gestation crates and battery cages have already been outlawed due to their extreme confinement.