Consumer demand for higher welfare products creates market incentives that drive welfare improvement faster than regulation alone when translated into purchasing behaviour.
Consumer purchasing is one of the most impactful individual actions available for farm animal welfare. When millions of consumers choose higher welfare products, retailers respond by requiring it from suppliers, who demand it from producers. The transformation of the egg market demonstrates this mechanism operating at scale over decades. Extending this effect to other sectors through informed consumer choice and advocacy for institutional catering reform could transform welfare outcomes for billions of animals.