How can you ensure that your food was farmed ethically?

Food labelling now means that you should know more about what you're buying. But what should you really be looking out for to ensure that your dinner is not supporting unethical farming?

'Doing the right thing' is becoming increasingly important in food produce, especially when it comes to animal welfare and farm standards, and producers and retailers are reacting with labelling schemes in an attempt to provide an at-a-glance indication of where your food comes from and how it was produced.

But the problem is that there are so many issues surrounding the production of food that making sense of various labels can be a bit like trying to make sense of an over-loved sticker book.

We help you decode the kaleidoscope of farm standards indicators with this at-a-glance guide.

Lion Quality Mark

We are all familiar with the lion stamp on eggs. This stamp means that the eggs have come from farms assessed to standards predominantly concerned with food safety. The scheme is run by the British Egg Industry Council and their standards specify vaccination of chickens against salmonella, careful temperature control of the eggs and the ability to trace back where the hens and feed have come from. The Lion Quality Mark can be found on free-range, barn and eggs laid by hens kept in battery cages.
www.britegg.co.uk

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)

The MSC is an independent, global, non-profit organisation which was set up to find a solution to the problem of over-fishing. Sustainable and well-managed fisheries who adhere to the MSC standards, earn the right to carry their distinctive blue logo. Increasingly, the logo is being seen on products in shops and supermarkets and on restaurant menus.
www.msc.org

RSPCA Freedom Food

This scheme is independent from the food and farming industry and is non-profit making. It is the only scheme that exists solely to improve farm animal welfare. It has a two-tier checking system; the scheme's own assessors and RSPCA specialist Livestock Officers. If you see a Freedom Food label it means that the animal has come from a farm that is run in accordance with strict welfare standards drawn up by the RSPCA. The scheme covers free range and some indoor systems, as long as the welfare requirements of the animals are met. Battery cages for hens are prohibited.
www.freedomfood.co.uk

Red Tractor

The jaunty little red tractor logo appears on a wide range of foods including animal derived products. It is owned by the farming industry and assures 'baseline' standards across food safety, environmental regulations and animal welfare. Food carrying this logo has not necessarily been produced in Britain although the country of origin will be displayed on the label. Members are inspected on average every 15 months.
www.redtractor.org.uk

Soil Association

The Soil Association symbol is applied to food produced to the Soil Association's specific standards required for organic certification. It is found on more than 70 per cent of the UK's organic products. The welfare standards cover feed, housing and space allowance, veterinary treatment and ethical treatment of livestock. Battery cages are prohibited.
www.soilassociation.org