U.S. Salad Chains Criticized Over Animal Welfare

Consumers are slowly becoming more aware of the cruelty behind the animal agriculture industry, and its ties to global warming. As a result, more and more people are demanding companies do better and commit to implementing stronger animal welfare policies.

One animal protection organization, Animal Equality, investigated ten of the leading salad chains in the U.S. and discovered most are falling incredibly short when it comes to animal welfare policies.

Many consumers choose salad places expecting to get a healthy meal with quality standards, but when it comes to animal products, those standards are lacking.

The report specifically looked to see if the chains had the following policies in place: a crate-free policy, the Better Chicken Commitment, and a cage-free egg policy.

According to Animal Equality’s salad chain ranking, half of the companies ranked have zero public animal welfare policies in place: MAD Greens, Salata, Chop Stop, Tender Greens, and Freshii.

The companies were given a chance to implement a policy change to Support stronger animal welfare before the report was released, but they declined to do so.

In an email shared with One Green Planet, the president of Animal Equality, Sharon Núñez, said: “Customers going to salad chains are expecting high standards for animal welfare, but instead are purchasing products that are so cruel that they are illegal in many U.S. states.”

While most of the chains that were ranked had zero or limited animal welfare policies, there were four that had them incorporated into their social corporate responsibility goals: Just Salad, Honeygrow, Sweetgreen, and Chopt.

Consumers are the driving force behind getting companies to improve their animal welfare policies and reduce the suffering of animals used for food. You can find the full ranking report and email to request change from the companies on the Animal Equality website here.

Make your own salads at home:

• Buffalo Chickpea Caesar Salad
• BLT Salad With Creamy Ranch and Chickpea Croutons
• Summery Tofu Salad With Fresh Herbs, and Sesame Dressing
• Bahn Mi Salad With Pickled Vegetables and Vietnamese Croutons
• Kale Caesar Pasta Salad
• Super Star Lentil Taco Salad

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental wellbeing, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Unfortunately, dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, prostate cancer, and has many side effects. 

For those interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend purchasing one of our many plant-based cookbooks or downloading the Food Monster App which has thousands of delicious recipes making it the largest vegan recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some resources to get you started:

• Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
• Plant-Based Health Resources
• Plant-Based Food & Recipes
• The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
• Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
• Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
• High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
• Plant-Based Meal Prep

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