Daisy Freund is the senior manager of the ASPCA’s Farm Animal Welfare campaign. In her role, Daisy works to raise public awareness about factory farming practices and improve the lives of farm animals in the U.S. through consumer education, legislative advocacy and farmer outreach. She is especially focused on driving increased transparency in the food system to allow consumers to make choices based on facts, and elevating farmers’ voices as advocates for more humane methods of farming. Daisy joined the ASPCA in 2012, bringing to the job a diversity of experience in food systems and communications, including farming, restaurant management, public relations and journalism. On today’s episode of What Doesn’t Kill You, Daisy, Katy Keiffer, and Sari Kamin discuss the poultry business. Tune in for more on the lack of genetic diversity in the factory-farmed chicken world, and why consumers are willing to pay a premium for quality in light of recent food-borne illness scandals. Why does poultry production rely so heavily on antibiotics? Later, learn more about animal stress, welfare protection on farms, and why so many companies are slowly turning to slow-growing birds. Thanks to our sponsor, Route 11 Potato Chips.

“The way these birds are treated is cruel, and it’s at the expense of the chickens and people.” [3:00]

“The genetic stock is available- we just have to convince this industry that people care about these issues… People are eager to spend a little more in order to get a little more value.” [6:35]

— Daisy Freund on What Doesn’t Kill You