Happy as a Hog in a Synagogue

Many cows, pigs and chickens will soon be living cushier lives. But in the end, they will still be headed for the dinner plate.

Whole Foods Market is preparing to roll out a line of meat that will carry labels saying “animal compassionate,” indicating the animals were raised in a humane manner until they were slaughtered.

While the animal-welfare labels are proliferating, it remains unclear whether they appeal to anyone other than a niche market of animal lovers, particularly since the meat and eggs are as much as twice as expensive as products that do not carry the labels.

from the New York Times

As a borderline animal lover as well as a confirmed cheapskate, we would be willing to pay more for pampered pigs – but not double. Certainly millions of our fellow-consumers agree. Somewhere there is a magic price/benefit point at which consumers will shell out higher prices to be clear-conscienced carnivores. We suspect it is somewhere between 25-40%. This will create a vast demand for high-comfort, low-cost animal breeding, sort of animal Motel 8’s, except when you check out, you really check out….