Industry

Explainer

Why Dairy Is Hiding in So Many Foods, Explained

The U.S. government has a lot to do with it.

Food•11 min read

Explainer

These Food Labels and Symbols Don’t Mean What You Think

Symbols like ‘recyclable’ and ‘compostable’ aren’t as reliable as you’d expect.

Food•9 min read

Reported

Factory Farms Make Bad Neighbors. Meet the People Who Are Fighting Back

Industrial farming operations stuffed with thousands of hogs, cows, or chickens seriously harm our health and environment. All across the country, communities are pushing back.

Food•26 min read

Explainer

Current U.S. Dietary Guidelines Ignore Climate, and That’s a Problem

Why the U.S. is behind when it comes to connecting environmental and personal health.

Food•8 min read

Explainer

How Many Animals Are Killed for Food Every Day?

An astronomical number to comprehend, broken down.

Food•7 min read

Investigation

California’s Factory Farms Are Perilously Close to Your Produce, New Report Finds

More than 90 percent of the polluting facilities are located less than a mile from water used to irrigate fruits and vegetables.

Food•4 min read

Solutions

Chipotle’s Founder Is Betting on Plant-Forward Food

The new fast-casual restaurant is powered by robots and a mostly meatless menu.

Food•2 min read

Explainer

Reproductive Exploitation of Male Livestock Is an Overlooked Cornerstone of Factory Farming

The invasive practice of electroejaculation, revealed.

Food•6 min read

Explainer

How Slaughterhouses Work: The Harsh Reality of Meat Production

A brief primer on the harsh conditions animals and workers endure.

Food•8 min read

Analysis

Impossible’s New Ad Campaign Doubles Down on Dudes

The plant-based leader hopes to boost sales by tapping into the American tradition of measuring masculinity with meat.

Food•6 min read

Explainer

Is Sustainable Palm Oil Ethical – or Just Greenwashing?

Unfortunately, the answer isn’t simple.

Food•7 min read

Reported

How California’s Prop 12 Could Kickstart a Lagging Global Pork Market

British, Irish and Canadian hog farms are looking to get ‘Prop 12 certified’ to sell pork to the golden state.

Food•5 min read

Explainer

How Factory Farming Exploits Female Reproductive Systems, Explained

How the meat and dairy industries rely on the labor and suffering of mothers.

Food•9 min read

Investigation

Can You Trust a ‘Certified Humane’ Pet Food Brand?

We investigated the animal welfare claims on Open Farm’s pet food labels and found they don’t live up to the hype.

Food•6 min read

Reported

In South Dakota, a Buffalo Herd Thrives in Cattle Country

Land grant universities whose research supports the beef industry are funded in part by land stolen from Indigenous tribes.

Food•8 min read

Explainer

6 Reasons Why Eggs Are So Expensive Right Now

Wondering why egg prices are skyrocketing? A mix of reasons — avian flu, inflation and shifting demand are all partly to blame.

Food•6 min read

Explainer

The Number of U.S. Poultry Farms Is Rising — Which Is Bad News for Animals and the Environment

As America’s appetite for chicken increases, so too do the negative effects of poultry farms.

Food•7 min read

Reported

Inside the Pork Industry’s Attempts to Charm and Influence Academia

Documents reveal a proposal to train PhDs on how to boost public trust in pork.

Food•5 min read

Explainer

Conditions for Chickens in Battery Cages Are More Sadistic Than Most People Realize

You probably knew chickens in battery cages are crammed in tight — but did you know about the neverending light and reproductive control?

Food•11 min read

Explainer

Why Coconut Milk Isn’t the Most Ethical Plant-Based Milk

The plant-based milk might be more environmentally friendly than dairy — but that doesn’t make it automatically ethical.

Food•8 min read

Explainer

The Number of Chickens in the World Means They Outnumber Humans 3.5 to 1

Why eating chicken is not necessarily more ethical than eating beef.

Food•2 min read

Reported

Chipotle Claims Better Animal Welfare Standards, but a New Investigation Suggests Otherwise

Undercover footage shows the fast food chain violating its own pledge to only slaughter animals who have been stunned.

Food•4 min read

Explainer

The Top Pork Producer in the U.S. Is Owned by China, but Harming Local Communities

Here’s what you need to know about the pork industry in the United States.

Food•7 min read

Reported

Red Sea Conflict Has Left 16,000 Farm Animals Stranded. Their Future Remains Uncertain.

Hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep could be at risk from ongoing hostilities in the Red Sea region.

Food•7 min read

Explainer

If Factory Farming Ended, What Would Happen to All the Animals?

It might be a faraway scenario — but it’s one worth examining.

Food•10 min read

Analysis

What Tyson Foods’ Terrible Year Means for the Future of Big Chicken

Layoffs and a declining stock price may signal trouble for the U.S.'s largest poultry producer

Food•2 min read

Analysis

Why Cedar the Goat Had To Be Killed

When a 9-year-old tried to pull her goat from auction, Shasta County fair officials insisted the animal be killed to teach her a lesson about meat.

Food•7 min read

Reported

Meat Industry Lobbyists Exposed for Trying to Derail Animal Welfare Legislation

These tactics are just the latest in a long line of campaigns to delay food system change.

Food•4 min read

Reported

The Real Reason There Are So Many Open Farm Days Might Surprise You

Open farm days are curated to show the public only what the meat industry wants you to see.

Food•8 min read

Explainer

The Rise of Industrial Agriculture, Explained

Everything you ever wanted to know about intensive agriculture, and the efforts to make it more sustainable.

Food•13 min read

Reported

Shake Shack and The Cheesecake Factory Fall Behind on Cage-Free Egg Commitments

A new report tracks progress among global brands pledging to source cage-free eggs.

Food•5 min read

Reported

What the History of Margarine Can Teach Us About Current Plant-Based Battles

The dairy industry has been fighting plant-based alternatives for a long time — but historically, it hasn’t exactly worked.

Food•10 min read

Reported

Smithfield Foods Is Owned by China, but Pollution and Price-Fixing Is the Real Problem

Rumors and conspiracy theories about Chinese ownership of a major U.S. pork producer abound, but concerns might be misplaced.

Food•4 min read

Reported

African Swine Fever Would Spread Rapidly Through U.S. Pork Industry, Study Finds

An outbreak is killing pigs around the world, and would likely spread quickly in the United States.

Food•7 min read

Explainer

What Sheep Farming Really Means For Animals and the Environment

Like many other forms of agriculture, sheep farming has become increasingly industrialized. Here’s what you need to know.

Food•10 min read

Reported

The Blood of Pregnant Mares Fuels Factory Farming – Literally

Female horses are drained of blood to provide a hormone used in pork production worldwide.

Food•6 min read

Explainer

Are Wagyu Cows Raised More Humanely Than Other Cows?

Wagyu beef is one of the most expensive — and consistently mislabeled — foods on the market. In this explainer, we look into what the "wagyu" label means for the cows.

Food•5 min read

Reported

What the EATS Act Is, and Why It Matters for Animals

A coalition of lawmakers are backing the EATS Act in hopes of gutting the Supreme Court's decision upholding the welfare provisions of California's Prop 12.

Food•6 min read

Reported

What the 2023 Farm Bill Could Change for Animals and Farmers

The 2023 Farm Bill offers lawmakers an opportunity to transform the food system but will they take it?

Food•10 min read

Reported

The Pork Industry Is Targeting People of Color – While Still Polluting Their Water 

Amid the World Pork Expo, the industry reframes "sustainability" and targets the very communities it pollutes.

Food•5 min read

Reported

A Brief History of Milk Ads Reveals Big Dairy Has Always Struggled

The Aubrey Plaza campaign is just the latest in a long history of artists, celebrities and athletes hired to promote the dairy industry.

Food•9 min read

Reported

Tyson Foods Investigation Exposes Myth of Free-Range Chicken

An undercover investigator found water shortages and "free-range" chickens that never see the outside.

Food•6 min read

Explainer

What Does the USDA Do?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has many responsibilities, including oversight of the food system and rural development.

Food•7 min read

Reported

Big Chicken Is Going After Climavores

Is eating chicken more sustainable than beef? The industry is misleading consumers with its "climate-friendly" marketing.

Food•6 min read

Explainer

What Are Gestation Crates?

Gestation crates are one of the most controversial aspects of pork production. But what are they, and why does the industry say they're necessary?

Food•7 min read

Reported

The Dublin Declaration Is Riddled with Animal Industry Bias

The 1000 scientists who signed the declaration are far from impartial.

Food•6 min read

Explainer

Is It Legal to Kill Baby Chickens?

The egg industry continues to cull billions of male chicks worldwide each year — despite legal and scientific progress to curb the practice.

Food•8 min read

Explainer

How Does a Cattle Feedlot Work?

What is a feedlot? These large fenced-off areas of land house thousands of cattle as they gain weight before slaughter. But how do they work?

Food•7 min read

Reported

EU Braces for New Avian Flu Outbreaks

A new EU government report warns of an impending uptick in avian flu outbreaks, especially in areas with a high concentration of factory farms.

Food•4 min read

Explainer

Whether It’s Grass-Fed or Grass-Finished, Beef Is Still a Problem

Consumers want to know the difference between grass-fed vs. grass-finished but research shows all beef is bad for the planet.

Food•7 min read