The Humane Eating Project

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App Feature: The Watch List

What is the Watch List?

All of the issues described at the Humane Eating Project cause intense suffering to animals. Some of these issues are particularly egregious and easy to find on a menu. Many people are so offended  by the production of these foods that they don't even want to step foot in a restaurant that serves them. The Watch List helps people avoid these restaurants altogether.

Items on the Watch List cannot currently be done in a humane way, whereas many of the other issues have the ability to be done humanely. For example, many factory-farmed pigs are kept in gestation crates, but this is not necessary and is banned on humanely raised farms.  When you buy humanely raised pork, you know that no gestation crates were used. Contrastingly, a Watch List issue like veal cannot be done in a humane way, and there is no third party organization that certifies veal as humanely raised.

Why is it Needed?

Creating a watch list allows our users to easily see which restaurants serve Watch List items so they can be avoided. This makes it simple for people to avoid restaurants that serve Watch List items and encourage them to stop serving those items.

Watch List Items: (Warning: Graphic and emotional information. No images)

Foi Gras: Foie gras is the fattened liver of a duck or goose that has been fattened by force-feeding. This causes the liver to become 6-10 times the normal size. A worker uses a metal feeding tube to force the birds to eat several times more than they would voluntarily. The feeding tubes harms the birds’ throats and can severely injure or kill them if not used properly. The birds have impaired liver functions because of the swollen size. The liver’s size can be so big that it expands to other parts of the abdomen and makes it difficult to breathe.

How to spot on the menu: Often served at French restaurants as foie gras or pate de foie gras. Not all pate is foie gras (although that does not mean it is humane).

Veal: (Warning: Very Sad) Calves used for veal come from the dairy industry. Dairy calves are taken from their mothers within a day of being born. The male calves and half of the females are used for veal. * A majority of veal comes from veal crates, where the calves are kept in small, dark crates to keep them immobile. This limits muscle development so that the meat is more tender.  While we applaud farms that do not use veal crates, all veal remains on the Watch List because of the cruel procedures of separation and short lives.

* http://animalrights.about.com/od/FactoryFarming/a/Whats-Wrong-With-Veal.htm

How to spot on the menu: Very simple – it will be clearly labeled as veal on the menu. It is most often served at Italian restaurants.

Shark Fin Soup: Shark fin soup is Chinese dish served on special occasions. Culturally, it is a luxury item and a symbol of wealth. Fishermen obtain the fins by catching a shark, removing its fin, and then returning it to the ocean – all while the shark is still alive. Without its fin, the shark is unable to swim properly. They sink to the bottom of the ocean or are eaten by other predators. 

Shark fin soup has been banned in some countries and a handful of states. Demand for the dish has decreased significantly in recent years thanks to awareness campaigns.

How to spot on the menu: Served in Chinese restaurants as Shark Fin soup.

What can you do?

Now: Think twice before patronizing restaurants on the Watch List. If you find a restaurant that is serving a watch list item, add it to our database.

In the Future: We hope to add a petition feature in a future release that would allow users to better communicate with Watch List restaurants. For every 50 users who sign a petition, a letter will be sent to the restaurant with information on humane eating and how serving humane options can improve their bottom line. This will help restaurants quantify the impact of their menu choices and give them concrete, actionable data. Personal information will never be shared.

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Indiegogo Wrap Up

We were able to raise over $10,000 with the help of 156 donors! Thanks for the support!

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What is Humane Eating?

Eating humanely means considering how animals are treated when choosing what to eat. Practically speaking, it means eating vegan, vegetarian, and humanely-raised food. Incorporating a combination of vegan, vegetarian, and humanely-raised options into your diet allows you to eat humanely without giving up your favorite meals. Humane eating is a HUGE improvement over traditional factory farmed food, where cruelty is a customary practice.

What is Humane?

It’s self-explanatory that a vegan diet is humane, because it does not rely on animals. But what does humane mean when we talk about humanely-raised meat?

There is currently no definition of humane in this context. At first, the Humane Eating Project is including every restaurant that has a vegan/vegetarian menu or that mentions humanely-raised food on its menu or website. Similar terms such as "humane" or "humanely-treated" are allowed. Initially, we need to map out everywhere the term is being used and encourage restaurants to do the right thing.

In a future release, once we have achieved a critical mass of users and restaurants, we will indicate which restaurants are sourcing from humane-certified farms using third party certification organizations such as Certified Humane, Animal Welfare Approved, and Global Animal Partnership.

Global Animal Partnership, Animal Welfare Approved, and Certified Humane have the highest standards for animal welfare. Farms that are certified by these organizations are committed to ethical treatment of animals and are audited by a 3rd party to verify the standards are met.

What about other terms like “free range” and “organic”? Some of these terms have a marginal benefit to farm animals, but do not equate to a commitment of treating an animal humanely. Many of these terms address only one issue of animal welfare. For example, cage-free chickens may not be in cages, but will still face overcrowding and beak trimming in large, warehouse-like factories. There is no 3rd party auditing to verify many of these terms.

For a great guide on all animal product labels, visit the HSUS’s website: Meat & Dairy Labels Egg Labels 

Humanely-raised is not a panacea and does not solve every issue, particularly with eggs and dairy. Vegan is the only option that is completely cruelty-free, but eating vegetarian and humanely-raised food is significantly better than food produced by factory farms.

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Our Indiegogo Page is Live!

We just launched our fundraising campaign through Indiegogo to make The Humane Eating Project app a reality! With your support, finding humane restaurants near you will be as easy as turning on your phone.

Please check out the Indiegogo page here, and support the project by donating or spreading the word. There are a lot of cool prizes for donating!

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5 Simple Ways to Eat More Humanely, Without Changing Your Lifestyle

Are you new to the idea of humane eating? The Humane Eating Project will help you find restaurants with humane choices. But before the app is released, and aside from restaurants, there are other ways you can make your diet more humane. 

Many people want to eat humanely, but don't know how. Vegan is the only 100% humane option, but transitioning to vegan is an intimidating and dramatic change. These tips will help you take your first baby steps toward reducing animal cruelty. By taking small steps to eating more humanely, you will become more aware of what you are eating. We hope this might eventually lead you to adopt a plant-based lifestyle. Even if you only make these simple changes, you can still have an impact by reducing the demand for animal products. 

1. Use the Vegan Option When There is One

Many products come in several varieties, and there is often a vegan version. For example, buy vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. This is a pretty simple switch and you will not notice the difference in your recipe. 

When it comes to dairy products, the non-dairy market is exploding. I see new products every time I go grocery shopping. There are tons of vegan products you can use instead of dairy. An easy one to try is Earth Balance spread instead of butter. In fact, many margarines are "accidentally vegan." I've found Earth Balance tastes and bakes like real butter, whereas margarines can vary. 

You can also switch to soy or almond milk instead of using cow's milk. My favorite is Almond Breeze sweetened vanilla, I love it on cereal or in coffee. Unsweetened rice and soy milk work better for savory recipes. There are also a bunch of other non-dairy milks out there, like coconut or hemp milk. 

2. Meatless Mondays

Try cutting out meat for one day a week. If you think about it, you probably like a lot of meatless meals already. Any pasta lovers out there? Just combine your favorite shape, sauce, and vegetables and you're done! (More recipes if you keep reading to #5). 

7 people that do Meatless Mondays have the same impact as one vegetarian. By cutting out meat once a week, you can make a difference without giving up your favorite foods. 

3. Switch to Humanely Raised

The majority of farm animals are raised on massive, industrial factory farms where they are treated like inanimate objects and subject to cruel practices. But there are some farms that treat their animals humanely. On these farms, animal welfare is the highest priority, making sure they "only have one bad day." 

There are three third party certifications for humane farms: Global Animal Partnership (GAP), Certified Humane, and Animal Welfare Approved (AWA).  GAP certified products are available at Whole Foods. You can search the Certified Humane and AWA websites for where to find their products near you. 

To find humanely-raised options when you eat at restaurants, use the Humane Eating Project app. This will be available in a few months.

4. Eat Less Meat

When you eat meat, eat less of it. Many recipes call for a pound of chicken or ground beef. Try using a half a pound. In most recipes, you won't notice a difference. And besides benefiting animals, you'll also save money. 

5. Look for Veganized Versions of Your Favorite Recipes

Thanks to the internet, it's incredibly easy to find and share new recipes.  Someone has probably made a vegan version of your favorite food. Just google: "vegan [your favorite dish]." Here are some examples for Mexican food, lasagna, burgers, Mediterranean food, fried rice, and potstickers.

This is especially easy for baking. There are many alternatives to eggs for baking. Plus you won't have to worry about whether or not the eggs have gone bad! You can make any baking recipe vegan by substituting with Earth Balance and egg replacer. Some recipes are already vegan so you don't need to change anything. Here are some great vegan recipes for brownies, fudge, muffins, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, croissants, and even peanut butter cups!

We hope you find these tips helpful as you begin eating more humanely, and fighting animal cruelty. Together, we can make a difference for billions of farm animals.

-Heather, Humane Eating Project Team at America for Animals

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Preview the Humane Eating Project App

The Humane Eating Project App will be ready in a few months! Our outstanding graphics team has put together images of what our app will look like when it is released. Check out our restaurant locator to see how simple it will be to find humane options near you. We have a database of over 18,000 restaurants and are always adding more!

Our restaurant locator maps nearby restaurants using a color-coded system.

Get details for each restaurant, including Yelp reviews and contact info.

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The Humane Eating Project App is Coming Soon!

You can have a huge impact on the lives of farm animals by making a simple change. It’s easy to make a difference by switching to humane restaurants with the Humane Eating Project.

The Humane Eating Project is a mobile app that finds restaurants offering humanely-raised, vegan, and vegetarian options. It also shows Watch List restaurants to avoid – those selling the cruelest types of food.  By using the app, you can promote restaurants that are doing the right thing, and change those that are not.

How Did We Get Here?

Over the years, factory farms have mostly replaced idyllic, family farms. Animal welfare laws have not kept up with the change. Profit and efficiency took priority over animal care, leading to a devastating impact on the lives of billions of farm animals.

How did this happen? Ignorance is bliss, and factory farms operate behind closed doors so that we can easily turn a blind eye. The issues are so egregious that they can become incomprehensible.

It’s easy to feel like the problem is so big that you don’t have any power to change it. But as a consumer, you do have power. Every time you spend money, your dollars act as a vote for that company, its products, and its practices. 

Because of technology, consumers can organize their power easier than ever before. One way to harness this power is through the Humane Eating Project App. Make it your goal to eat exclusively at humane restaurants, and to never eat at Watch List restaurants. If enough of us do this, eventually it won’t be economical for factory farms to do business the old way. Together, we can change the system and alleviate a tremendous amount of animal suffering.

-Humane Eating Project Team, America for Animals