A box of brown eggs

April 22, 2019Can Ethical Labelling Make Food Systems Healthy, Sustainable, and Just?

Consumers are often encouraged to “vote with their fork” and “say no” to unhealthy, unsustainable and unfair food. Food packaging is typically littered with claims about the nutrition, ethics and social goods associated with the product inside. Claims like “organic”, “GMO free”, “fair trade”, and “anti-biotic free” are common.

The Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School published a blog by Animal Law & Policy Fellow Christine Parker today.

The blog explores whether consumer preference base labelling can make a difference to the health, sustainability and ethics challenges facing the food system.

Christine and her colleagues at the University of Melbourne in Australia conducted a three year research project evaluating ethical food labelling, using animal welfare and “superfood” label claims as case studies.

Their research asked two questions. First, has the rise in animal welfare labelling given citizens more say over animal welfare in farm animal production?

The second question was whether labelling changed production practices to improve animals’ lives?

To learn more read the full blog.