Press Release
Local
MP says think before you BOGOF
New research published today to mark
the RSPCA's Freedom Food Farm Animal Week (22-28 September) measures just how ethical our
shopping and eating habits are and how they impact on farm animal welfare.
The research found that in spite of the credit crunch, 56% of respondents say that they
choose higher welfare eggs, 39% higher welfare labelled chicken and 41% stated they are
now more likely to let animal welfare influence their choice of food compared to five
years ago.
However, these encouraging trends are tempered by the fact that barriers and temptation
can still get in the way of a desire to be more ethical:
·
66% of all respondents
admitted that they had bought cheaper standard chicken or salmon when tempted by special
offers such as Buy One Get One Free (BOGOFs ).
·
63% per cent will buy
the standard option if they can’t find a higher version of the animal product they
are looking for
· A
substantial proportion of all respondents – 72% do not think to check eggs as
ingredients – in spite of a clear trend towards welfare-friendly purchase of whole,
boxed eggs
Local Birmingham MP,
Lynne Jones, said:
“Just by making changes to our shopping and eating habits we can affect the way farm
animals are reared. If more people go out of their way to choose or ask for
welfare-friendly food such as RSPCA Freedom Food labelled products, more of the 1 billion
animals reared for food each year in the UK will be raised to higher welfare standards,
farmers will be rewarded for their efforts and others will be encouraged to follow suit”.
To help raise awareness of the issue during RSPCA Freedom Food Farm Animal Week (22-28
September) shoppers are being given the chance to test their out their own welfare
credentials or ‘Farm Animal Footprint’, by visiting www.animalwelfarefootprint.com
and participating in a simple quiz.
The interactive quiz will test out how welfare-friendly visitors are in terms of their
shopping and eating habits, and provide some easy ways for them to improve.
Notes to editors
For any specific queries relating to the Freedom Food
scheme, please contact: Calie Woozley or Suzi Browne on 0300 123 490 / 0207 630 6633 or cwoozley@rspca.org.uk / suzi@hammondpr.co.uk
or visit www.freedomfood.co.uk
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