Understanding Pork Labels

Don’t be fooled by food labels that sound like they mean better for pigs. Use our guide below to learn how these labels actually impact pig welfare—or how they don’t. Look for the ASPCA recommended labels Animal Welfare Approved, Certified Humane and Global Animal Partnership (Step 2 or higher), and then sign up to join the Shop With Your Heart movement for the latest info on finding these products and making welfare-conscious choices when you shop.

	Animal welfare certifications				Other independent certifications	Industry certification	Other claims
	Animal Welfare Approved	Certified Humane	Global Animal Partnership	American Humane Certified	USDA Organic†	National Pork Board Pork Quality Assurance Plus	Free Range	No Antibiotics Ever	Natural
Meaningful On-Farm Welfare Standards	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Farrowing and Gestation Crates Prohibited	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Adequate Indoor Space Minimums	Gestating Sows: 32 ft² per pig bedded lying area, plus additional 32 ft² when indoors Farrowing Sows: 64 ft² per sow, plus additional 48 ft² when indoors Grower Pigs: 6.5 ft² to 14 ft² depending on weight, plus additional space when indoors	Gestating Sows: 28.9 ft² to 37.6 ft² per pig depending on age Farrowing Sows: 48 ft² Grower Pigs: 4.5 ft² to 12 ft² per pig depending on weight	Gestating Sows: Step 1-2: 32 ft² per pig Step 3-5+: 56 ft² per pig Farrowing Sows: All Steps: 48 ft² Grower Pigs: Step 1: 7 ft² to 10 ft² per pig depending on weight Step 2: 7 ft² to 12 ft² per pig Step 3-5+: 7 ft² to 18 ft² per pig	Gestating Sows: 20 ft² Farrowing Sows: Unspecified Grower Pigs: 1.6 ft² to 9.3 ft² per pig depending on weight	No	No	No	No	No
Environmental Enrichments Required	Must have continuous access to forage	Must have materials for rooting and manipulating (straw/ sawdust/ woodchips/ rope)	Step 1: No Step 2-4: Indoors must provide environmental enrichments (straw/hay/ woodchips) Step 5-5+: Yes, outdoor enrichments on pasture	No	No	No	No	No	No
Outdoor Access Required	Yes, “continuous outdoor pasture access”	No	Step 1-2: No Step 3: Yes, “continuous outdoor access during daylight hours” Step 4: Yes, “continuous access to pasture” Step 5-5+: Yes, “continuously on pasture”	No	Yes, but undefined	No	Yes, but undefined	No	No
Routine Tail Docking Prohibited	Yes	Yes	Yes	Permitted < 7 days	No	No	No	No	No
Teeth Clipping Prohibited	Yes	Permitted only by request for welfare related reasons < 4hrs or < 3 days for sick piglets	Yes	Permitted where necessary to prevent injury < 24hrs	No	No	No	No	No
Maximum Transport Duration	8 hrs	8 hrs	Step 1-5: 16 hrs Step 5+: Transport not permitted	None	None	None	None	None	None
Routine Antibiotic Use Prohibited	Yes	Yes	Yes	No, allows nontherapeutic use of ionophores	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
On-Farm Audits of Every Facility	Yes	Generally yes, but not every facility is audited in producer groups	Yes	Yes	Yes	No, audits do not cover the entire farm	No	No	No
Timing of Audits	Once every year	Once every year	Once every 15 months (in order to see a farm in each season)	Once every year	Once every year	Once every three years	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable
100% Compliance with Standards	Yes	Yes	Yes	No*	Yes	No (standards are guidelines, not requirements)	No	No	No

† Although the USDA Organic program released new, stronger animal welfare standards in January 2017, it delayed their implementation for months. Finally, in December 2017, the USDA announced its intention to withdraw these new standards completely. We are monitoring developments and will keep you updated; be sure to join the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade for alerts if you haven’t already.

* American Humane Certified standards only require that producers meet 85% of the provided standards. Accordingly, it is possible that a producer might not meet certain requirements (including antibiotic use) and still receive the American Humane Certified certification.

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