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What is Certified Humane Food and Why Should You Buy Certified Humane?

Posted by John on Dec 7th 2017

Certified Humane is a title given to meat and animal products that are created under a specific set of guidelines designated by Humane Farm Animal Care. Humane Farm Animal Care is a third party, non-profit organization composed of leading animal scientists, veterinarians, animal welfare specialists, and farmers.

Their guidelines are very strict and are tailored for each group of farm animals. For example, beef must be fed a wholesome, nutritious diet and have free access to this food. Adult cows and calfs over 30 days old must be allowed feed or forage with a sufficient level of fiber to allow rumination. Cattle may not be given growth hormones or any growth inducing antibiotics. They also must maintain a body condition score (BCS) of at least 4-6 and any change in condition must be carefully planned and maintained according to the stage of production. Their environment is important as well. Beef cattle must be raised with continual access to the outdoors and there must be no parts of the indoor areas of the farm that could cause specific injuries (floors must be made with non-slip material, etc). The temperatures must remain at a constant as to not cause animal distress.

In total, the guidelines are over 30 pages long and that’s only for beef! But, what does this mean for you as a consumer? Well for one, it means that you are guaranteed a certain level of quality in the products you’re buying. Because the farms are held to such a high standard of cleanliness, you also don’t have to worry about pathogens or other bacteria in the food. So where can you find a Certified Humane food for your pet? Open Farm is a brand new grain-free dog and cat food out of Canada with a large focus on making sure the ingredients used are high quality and humanely handled. All of the meats used in their food are provided by farms that are Certified Humane and the fish are approved by Ocean Wise Conservation Association. Open Farm also offers Freeze Dried Raw food options and a number of all natural dehydrated treat options! Stop by our store to try some for yourself!

Funny Fur
3268 Westheimer Road
Houston, Tx 77098
713-239-0133