Claiming confidence: U.S. consumer trust in meat and poultry claims

Lay Summary Food labels often include statements about how animals were raised or the environmental impact of production. For example, shoppers may see labels on meat and poultry packages that claim to be “cage free,” “raised without antibiotics,” or “sustainably farmed.” These voluntary claims are intended to differentiate food products and enhance marketability, but some question whether they are accurate. The Food Safety and Inspection Service updated its guidelines for verifying animal-raising and environment-related claims used on meat and poultry products in the fall of 2024 to improve consumer confidence in these claims. This study surveyed nearly 1,500 U.S. meat consumers to measure their trust in different claims. We found that consumers generally trust claims about an animal’s breed (e.g., “Certified Angus Beef”) and the meat’s origin most. By contrast, claims about animal welfare and environmental practices received the lowest levels of trust. Interestingly, whether a person was the main grocery shopper in their household or how often they ate meat made little difference in their trust levels. These results suggest that making labels more transparent could help shoppers feel more confident that the claims on meat and poultry packages are accurate.