The animal agriculture community has seen debate over California Prop 12, a law banning conventionally raised pork and egg products sold in California. While this debate is far from over, animal rights groups are already moving the goalposts to where even “cage-free” isn’t even good enough.
Earlier this summer, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) launched a consumer guide billed as a tool to help shoppers find “humanely raised” food in their communities. In reality, it’s a preview of a future legislative and corporate campaign agenda.
The online catalogue—called “ShopKind”—allows visitors to search for eggs, poultry, beef, and other animal protein that can be purchased at retailers near them. But the platform recommends against purchasing most animal protein products that are available on the market.
Eggs provide an informative example. Some shoppers might feel good about choosing to buy a carton of “cage-free” eggs. But from the perspective of ShopKind, that’s not good enough. Animals must be fully pasture-raised in order to get the ASPCA’s full blessing. Some outdoor access—as opposed to being fully pasture-based—earns a product a second-tier listing.
The ASPCA even admits that almost no animal protein meets its requirements. It acknowledges that “99 percent” of all poultry fails to satisfy the group’s standards (due to broilers being Cornish Crosses). And even though beef cattle spend plenty of time outdoors, that fresh air doesn’t count for the ASPCA because it’s not always spent in a “vegetated pasture.”
The small amount of animal protein that does comply with the consumer guide’s requirements are wildly unaffordable for many families. In some cases, the cost premiums of ASPCA-approved food exceed regular animal protein by over 70%. The ASPCA’s CEO, Matt Bershadker, is paid over $1.2 million a year so he can certainly afford these high-priced foods. But the entire construct highlights how elitist and out of touch the animal rights movement has become as it chooses to ignore the harm its policies inflict on low income communities.
The practical result of ShopKind is the promotion of a vegan diet free of any animal protein—which is by design. As the ASPCA notes, “The best way to guarantee that your food involves no potential animal suffering is to eat plant-based.”
Zooming out, the ASPCA’s guide reveals the broader playbook for the animal activist class. It shows they plan to continue moving the goalposts to drive up costs for farmers that are passed on to consumers. Farmers, policy makers and food executives should see this group for who they really are: a group of extravagantly paid NGO executives, seeking to control American’s diet and drive up the cost of American farm-raised protein.