American Human Certified Unveils New Standards for Aquaculture

American Humane, the country’s first national humane organization, unveiled new standards specifically geared to the humane raising of salmon and trout, a first for the aquaculture industry.

“We are thrilled to expand the scope of our American Humane Certified program and elevate the standards in the aquaculture space for the humane treatment of fish,” said Dr. Robin Ganzert, president & CEO of American Humane. “As ethically minded consumers search for humanely raised products, we want to ensure that the best farmers are certified by a third-party for their commitment to doing things right.”

American Humane Certified is the nation’s first and largest third party animal welfare certification program. Since 1877, American Humane has been first in promoting the welfare and safety of animals and has been at the forefront of virtually every major advance in the humane field.

The American Humane Certified seal provides proof that a product has been certified by a third-party and independently audited against science-based animal welfare standards. All American Humane Certified producers are judged against more than 200 metrics drawn up in collaboration with an independent Scientific Advisory Committee comprised of leading experts in the fields of agriculture, species-specific animal behavior and ethics.

Consumer demand for humanely raised products has risen sharply in recent years and producers and retailers are responding to this call to action. Ten of the nation’s top 12 grocery retailers now carry products that are American Humane Certified, according to a recent analysis by American Humane. More than 90 percent of people surveyed in an American Humane study reported being “very concerned” about farm animal welfare and they consider the consumption of humanely raised products to be “very important.”

“Aquaculture is an important and ever-growing component of the international food supply system,” said Ganzert. “Our team is excited to work alongside ethically-driven farmers to boost standards for fish and provide families with humane options at the grocery store.”