By Meghan Davidson of the Animal Welfare Committee
The Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) has been helping Coop members access information about the animal welfare standards of the products carried in the Coop for over a decade; researching products for sale at the Coop and producing guides to aid in decision-making. Many members believe our committee helps shape the array of products carried by the Coop but this is not accurate. Coop staff make all purchasing decisions and many factors contribute to their final choices, such as availability, price, delivery schedules, and consumer demand. Each of the products on our shelves is produced under a variety of different animal welfare conditions and our guides are the best way to answer any questions you might have.
We are a small committee, of nine members, tasked with creating and maintaining guides for the animal products (and alternatives) sold at the Coop. Last year two of our members moved into other roles, leaving us with a couple of spots to fill. We had a huge response to our call for new members and appreciated the opportunity to meet with over a dozen incredible Coop members who are also interested in keeping the membership informed about animal welfare concerns. This spring we added two new members and are so excited to have Sohum and Melissa helping us now!
We currently have guides to help members make purchasing decisions for products including eggs and milk (both newly updated this year), beef and pork (both updated last year), chicken and turkey, and plant milk. We are always working on producing new guides and updating existing guides. Currently, members are in various phases of producing guides to cheese, cheese alternatives, pet food, yogurt, fish, and more!
We always welcome member questions and suggestions! Please contact the AWC by emailing psfcanimals@gmail.com. You can also find the AWC on X and IG at @psfcanimals or Facebook at fb.me/psfcanimals. The AWC blog (which is the best place to view all of our guides) is psfcanimals.blogspot.com, which can be found on the homepage of FoodCoop.com. All our guides are posted on the blog and our Instagram also has great tips to keep you informed each month.