Consumers lack reliable sources of information about where their food comes from and how it was produced.

Corporate influence behind labeling and marketing strategies are preventing consumers from making purchasing choices that align with their values and the greater good.

Corporations and government are closely intertwined creating a lack of transparency and even laws and regulations that prevent researchers, journalists and investigators from obtaining accurate information about disease risk, animal suffering, worker conditions, effects on the environment, antimicrobial resistance, pandemic risk, fresh water contamination and air quality effects on the surrounding region.

Meat Guide is an unbiased source of accurate information for consumers to help them make choices that are inline with their values.

Factors to determine how products are rated:

Treatment of animals 

  • Able to exhibit their natural behaviors

  • Use of anesthesia during castration/ branding

  • Mother’s stress taken into consideration for production of product 

  • Age at slaughter compared to natural lifespan 

  • Distance they have to travel to slaughter

  • How many animals housed together?

  • Use of cruel practices such as ventilation shutdown and other means of mass killing 

  • On farm investigation footage of sick/dying animals 

  • Number of animals housed together 

  • Do animals need to be treated with antibiotics to prevent/treat disease outbreaks?

  • Are animals denied medical attention and antibiotics to conform to “organic” and “antibiotic free” food labeling?

Treatment of workers

  • Infectious disease risk

  • Working conditions (air quality) 

  • Availability of health insurance

  • Living wage 

  • Emotional stress exposed to from having to hurt animals 

  • Exploitation of marginalized populations

Business ethics

  • Revenue per year

  • Ratio of CEO salary to average worker

  • Lobbying of politicians 

  • Executive seats on various industry groups that seek to limit transparency and prevent progress in our food system towards a more sustainable future. 

  • Overall effects on climate