There’s a surprisingly simple way to make a big difference in the lives of animals: incorporating more plant-based foods. The more plants you eat, the more animals you’ll spare from lives of suffering. Fewer mother pigs will be kept in crates so small they can barely move. Fewer egg-laying hens will...

They were like moths to a flame or, more accurately, butterflies to a native plant. No sooner had I unloaded two joe-pye weed perennials from my car last August than three tiger swallowtails dive-bombed the pots, as if to validate my purchase. If only my fellow shoppers knew what they were missing...

Much of what we do in the name of aesthetics comes at a cost to our overall well-being. From fad diets to chemical peels to cosmetic surgeries, beauty routines attempt to squash what’s natural in favor of an unattainable and short-lived “otherness.” The mindset isn’t limited to the treatment of our...

Poultry (Each report is available as a downloadable PDF.) CHICKENS AND TURKEYS About Chickens [PDF] About Turkeys [PDF] Animal Welfare in the Chicken Industry [PDF] Animal Welfare in the Turkey Industry [PDF] Caponizing Chickens [PDF] Manual Catching of Poultry [PDF] Transport of Day-Old Chicks [PDF...

WASHINGTON — On January 1, California’s 2018 ballot measure Proposition 12, which set landmark prohibitions on the sale of food products from farm animals locked in cruel and extreme confinement, will be fully implemented in the state. Proposition 12’s egg and veal provisions have been in place for...

Rochester Institute of Technology has committed to having 50% plant-based offerings on menus by 2025, in collaboration with the Humane Society of the United States.   As part of this effort, HSUS chefs provided an in-person plant-based culinary training to the university culinary staff. These events...

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – With meat and dairy alternatives rising in popularity, Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE) , a national foodservice management company that specializes in K-12 nutrition, has collaborated with the Humane Society of the United States to bring plant-based options to the...

Walk into a roadside restaurant after a long day on the highway, and you can practically taste your meal before sitting down. The familiar smells of fresh-baked pie and salty fries need little introduction en route to your belly. That sensory experience is similar for wildlife coming upon lush...

While soaking her raised beds in preparation for tomato planting last summer, Gail Goldman was startled to see a tiny, waterlogged creature pop up out of the soil. Later another one briefly poked out his head. “Basically, I was watering shrews,” the Seattle gardener says of her foiled vegetable...

It starts out mildly enough: Heading to work on the subway, you realize you forgot your wallet. No big deal, you think. I’ll borrow money to get home. Soon the lights go out and the train hurtles toward the sky, speeding through the atmosphere. Time passes—it’s hard to tell how long. The subway is...

Pop quiz: What’s the best way to help butterflies in your backyard? If you answered “Plant butterfly bush,” you’re in good company. A recent survey of my gardening friends elicited the same response from more than a few. It’s easy to understand why: Aside from its self-reinforcing moniker, the plant...

Cockfighting is an age-old practice in which two or more specially bred birds, known as gamecocks, are placed in an enclosed pit to fight for the primary purposes of gambling and entertainment. A typical cockfight can last anywhere from several minutes to more than half an hour and usually results...

Imagine a chicken. Picture her downy white feathers and small, intense eyes. Maybe she’s sitting on a nest, softly clucking. Perhaps she’s scratching in the dirt, a quaint red barn in silhouette behind her. Cows graze contentedly nearby; a pig snuffles in the mud. It’s an idyllic vision, familiar...

Most animals in our food system live in dismal conditions. Mother pigs are locked in gestation crates so small they can’t turn around. Egg-laying hens are crammed into cages so tightly they can’t even spread their wings. And chickens in the poultry industry are bred to grow so large so fast that...

Our food system has a significant impact on the environment in various ways. One of the key factors is the greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) produced by the global food system, which accounts for 20% to 37% of all GHGs. Animal products, such as meat and dairy, have a much larger environmental...

FORT WAYNE, Indiana —The Humane Society of the United States is assisting the Indiana Gaming Commission with the seizure of more than 100 roosters and hens from an alleged cockfighting operation in Wells County, Indiana. The Wells County Sheriff’s Office, Indiana State Police, Ossian Police...

The Humane Society of the United States has released its Protein Sustainability Scorecard, taking a close look at the food service industry in the U.S. and progress toward offering climate-friendly, plant-based foods. To meet client demand and public sentiment, virtually every major food service...

Many Marches ago, as I mindlessly contorted myself to pull a deep-rooted weed from the garden patch, my thoughts turned longingly to the smell of fresh basil that would eventually grace what I saw as a still-barren vegetable graveyard. This spot was not so lifeless as it appeared, I would soon learn...

Around the world, animals used for meat, eggs and dairy often suffer on factory farms where they are treated as units of production rather than living, feeling creatures. The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International present comprehensive reports on animal agribusiness and...