Abstract
How food animals are treated has become a significant topic for meat producers, customers and consumers. The US population is now many generations away being actively engaged in agricultural production and are asking questions about how their food is produced. Unfortunately, the information that is available to consumers is not always accurate or positive for livestock producers. Farmers have little or no trust with the consumer and they are looking to other sources for information. How we communicate with our customers, consumers and the public is key to providing accurate information and creating trust in our industry. Auditing can play a role in providing a bridge to our customers and consumers. The goal is transparency of our production practices and documenting continuous improvement. Communicating that our values are aligned with the consumers values will be the key to improving trust with our customers and consumers
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