Snail farming for food is growing globally, but little research exists on whether snails experience pain or suffering — a fundamental welfare uncertainty.
Snail welfare sits at a frontier of uncertainty. The scientific evidence for snail sentience — the capacity for subjective experience — is weak but not conclusively absent. Nociception (responding to harmful stimuli) is documented, but whether this involves conscious suffering is unknown. Given this uncertainty, a precautionary approach suggests minimising potentially aversive handling, avoiding prolonged exposure to stressors, and investigating humane slaughter methods. As invertebrate welfare science advances, heliciculture practices may need updating to reflect improved understanding of snail sentience.