Light Green Stairs

I love animals. Chickens have such comic grace and cows gentle presence. I love animals, but I’m not a vegetarian.

So, when choosing animal products, I try to choose those that are humane. When I checked out ASPCA’s Supermarket Scorecard, I was pleased that the stores I generally feel good about shopping at had great scores. There are a couple of stores that have confused me as to why they are so wildly popular, and those had bad scores.

The scores reflect how well stores address animal welfare issues for chickens raised for meat, egg-laying hens and pregnant pigs.

Check out your supermarket’s score. If it’s low, let them know that you’re concerned about their choices when it comes to improving the lives of farm animals. How? Fill out one of those ever-present surveys on receipts, talk to them on social media, or go to the store’s website and find their “Contact Us” page to call or email.

With the holidays approaching, it’s a great time to consider how your shopping choices affect the lives of farm animals.