Shopping guide for beef
By choosing high welfare products such as those labelled Freedom Food, you are directly helping to improve the lives of farm animals.
The Freedom Food logo is still finding its way onto beef products in major supermarkets – check your preferred retailer on our Where to Buy guide here. Whatever the farming system you can be assured that all products labelled Freedom Food come from farms approved by us to strict RSPCA welfare standards.
What do the different systems mean?
When you choose to buy British beef with a Freedom Food logo on it you can be assured that the farm they come from is currently being assessed by us. Both rearing systems have to meet RSPCA standards, which include – amongst other things - providing shelter for grazing cattle from harsh weather, space, bedding and good floor surfaces when indoors.
It is easy to see illustrated fields on a packet of meat but this doesn’t necessarily mean outdoor or that the animal’s welfare requirements were met. We believe that welfare is the key consideration in farming and our approved farms all have to meet the standards set out by the RSPCA farm animal’s team. There are over 300 individual standards to be met and we work with the farmers to help them achieve this.
If you want to know more about these standards and the key welfare issues that the RSPCA are working on click here.
Veal
In 1990 UK regulations came into force which provided calves with a better standard of welfare than required by EU law. Despite veal crates being banned in the UK and Europe, welfare can be variable and there is so much progress still to be made for calf welfare. The RSPCA have developed its own standards for production of rose veal which seek to go above the law where possible to ensure good welfare.
If you do choose to purchase veal we advise you to buy British veal or British rose veal with a Freedom Food logo. We do not approve any white veal on the basis that it does not meet our welfare standards.
Freedom Food Beef
The RSPCA believes that beef production standards must include the following: Enough trough space to eat and drink; protection from draughts and good air circulation inside buildings, good quality, clean and dry straw bedding when housed, space to move around freely taking into account age, size and breed, properly maintained floor surfaces; enough shade and shelter when they are outside and careful handling and management from competent stockpersons.