Food labelling systems for animal welfare are inconsistent, often misleading, and fail to give consumers the information they need to make genuinely welfare-informed purchasing decisions.
Current food welfare labelling is characterised by proliferation, inconsistency, and insufficient consumer clarity. Terms like free-range, natural, and farm fresh carry varying or no regulatory definitions depending on species and country, enabling welfare-washing that misleads consumers who are trying to make ethical choices. A mandatory tiered labelling system using standardised criteria would allow genuine comparison between products and reward producers who invest in welfare improvements. Evidence from egg labelling shows that clear, standardised tier labels do influence purchasing behaviour at scale. Extending this approach to pork, beef, chicken, and dairy represents a high-impact policy opportunity.