Most people have little direct experience with farm animals, creating a knowledge gap that limits empathy and welfare concern for the animals in the food system.
Public support for farm animal welfare reform is correlated with public awareness of farm animal lives and conditions. People who have met a pig or a chicken as an individual, not as a food product, show greater concern for their welfare and more support for welfare reforms. Building awareness through education, sanctuary visits, and storytelling creates the cultural foundation for policy change.