{"id":1172600,"date":"2025-10-29T14:41:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T21:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/?p=1172600"},"modified":"2026-03-27T06:26:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T13:26:24","slug":"peta-sues-whole-foods-backed-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/news\/peta-sues-whole-foods-backed-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Animal Partnership Tries to Toss PETA\u2019s Consumer Protection Suit; PETA Fires Back"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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If you\u2019ve ever shopped at Whole Foods or other grocery stores, you may have seen meat with an \u201canimal welfare certified\u201d label on the packaging. These labels are designed to make shoppers believe that the animals whose parts are in them were treated better than animals on farms without this certification, but a PETA lawsuit filed in October 2025 claimed that this program is a misleading scam. As alleged in the lawsuit, Global Animal Partnership (\u201cG.A.P.\u201d), the Whole Foods\u2013<\/strong>backed \u201canimal welfare\u201d \u201ccertifier,\u201d falsely touts the \u201cindependence\u201d of its farm inspectors, when, in reality, G.A.P. and the sole entity responsible for conducting these inspections are under the same management. Demonstrating that you cannot \u201cTrust the Label,\u201d G.A.P. slaps \u201canimal welfare certified\u201d labels on the flesh of animals who have been kicked, slammed, and endured many other egregious cruelties.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Animal<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

G.A.P. Tries to Dismiss the Suit\u2014and PETA Fires Back<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Apparently, G.A.P. wasn\u2019t too pleased with us calling out its humane-washing scheme, because it\u2019s trying to get the lawsuit tossed. But consumers deserve to know the truth: No matter the label, animals raised and slaughtered for food suffer. In a bid to maintain our consumer protection complaint, PETA Foundation lawyers filed an opposition to G.A.P.\u2019s motion, standing firm for transparency and accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does PETA\u2019s Lawsuit Aim to Do?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

PETA\u2019s lawsuit exposes one of the food industry\u2019s biggest cons\u2014\u201chumane\u201d and \u201cwelfare\u201d certifiers mask animal suffering\u2014and seeks to put pressure on companies to stop lying to shoppers and profiting from severe acts of cruelty to animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has taken PETA\u2019s undercover investigations and whistleblower reports\u2014not<\/em> G.A.P. farm inspectors\u2014to expose cruelty to animals. At G.A.P.-certified facility Farmer Focus<\/a>, for example, a whistleblower reported that chickens had bruised, broken, and dislocated wings from being slammed into cages for transport to the company\u2019s slaughterhouse. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The suit centers on allegations that G.A.P. makes false assurances to consumers that its \u201canimal welfare\u201d standards are enforced by \u201cindependent\u201d auditors\u2014and that G.A.P. has gone to great lengths to hide the damning truth. What\u2019s the dirty secret?<\/em> Per the lawsuit, a glaring conflict of interest\u2014the CEO of the company that manages G.A.P. and the owner of the company that performs its \u201canimal welfare audits\u201d are the same person: William Jay Friedman.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means the organization responsible for certifying \u201canimal welfare\u201d on farms would seem to have a financial interest in keeping farms certified, even when animals suffer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PETA\u2019s lawsuit also alleges that G.A.P.\u2019s claim of \u201cindependence\u201d has always been false, as it has always been deeply connected to Whole Foods Market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whole Foods:<\/p>\n\n\n\n