It’s not a (humane) wash—it’s a win! Following a cease-and-desist letter from PETA’s attorneys and an eyewitness investigation into Oakridge Dairy LLC, the largest dairy in Connecticut, the company has removed several humane-washing, misleading, and false claims from its advertising language.
After PETA’s Push, Oakridge Dairy Removes Multiple Humane-Washing Claims From Its Advertising
Oakridge Dairy’s website used to claim that cows had an “optimal living habitat” and “plenty of elbow room” and that they “spend their days relaxing among their peers”—but after hearing from PETA’s attorneys, it removed the misleading language and took down a YouTube video that claimed that Oakridge “ensures the [cows’] well-being” and creates a “haven” for them. All the removed claims are examples of humane washing, a marketing ploy that misleads consumers into believing that they’re making kind choices when they’re actually not. In reality, the only kind choice is vegan. Oakridge confines approximately 2,600 cows inside a concrete-floored mega-shed so that their manure can be collected by a “methane digester” as part of a dubious “clean energy” scheme.
Oakridge confines approximately 2,600 cows inside a concrete-floored mega-shed so that their manure can be collected by a “methane digester” as part of a dubious “clean energy” scheme.
During the undercover investigation, PETA eyewitnesses documented the following:
Cows with swollen joints and apparent pressure sores on their legs.
Workers admitting that the animals are never allowed outdoors and are forced to use manure left over from the methane digester as “bedding”.
Cows kept in extremely crowded conditions where they appeared unable to move freely or find a comfortable spot to stand or lie down.
Oakridge staff saying they remove newborn calves from their mothers within 20 minutes of birth—so that the company can sell the milk meant to nourish them through the delivery service The Modern Milkman and distribute it through Dairy Farmers of America, which supplies dairy brands nationwide.
Oakridge Dairy Is Another Company Added to PETA’s List of Humane-Washing Wins
The PETA Foundation has been full-steam ahead for years making sure that companies like Oakridge Dairy stop misleading consumers. PETA Foundation attorneys have secured several other wins against food companies that use misleading claims in advertising:
PETA Foundation attorneys filed a lawsuit on behalf of a woman who accused Organic Valley of misleading her into buying its products at premium prices because it falsely claims to treat cows “with love”—when in reality, it separates newborn calves from distraught mothers, who sometimes run after trucks taking their babies away and cry for days over the loss. Organic Valley later changed its carton design and removed claims about offering “high” or “highest” standards of animal care, that cows are raised “with love,” and that cows are “happy” or “social”—as well as the word “humane.”
Following PETA’s investigation into a Nellie’s Free Range Eggs supplier, PETA Foundation lawyers filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of consumers who were misled into buying eggs sold under the company’s label. PETA eyewitness video footage of the supplier showed approximately 20,000 hens confined to a single extremely crowded shed with severely restricted access to the outdoors, despite Nellie’s claims that the chickens “roam where they please” and “have easy access to the outdoors.” In February 2020, the Southern District of New York held that a marketing campaign showing hens “frolicking in elysian pastures” could provide “enough specificity to elevate itself beyond puffery.”
Take Action Against Humane-Washing Schemes
As part of our initiative against humane washing, PETA is campaigning against the Global Animal Partnership, “humane” label marketing scheme backed by the Humane Society of the United States, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and Compassion in World Farming. As our undercover investigations and wins against misleading claims show, there’s nothing “humane” about factory farming, and these self-described animal welfare groups need to take immediate action in order to cut ties with the Global Animal Partnership. Sign our petition and remind these organizations through polite social media comments that the Global Animal Partnership certification is a misleading sham.
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