GAP stands for Global Animal Partnership. GAP uses a 1-5 scale to provide information on how animals were raised and helps educate consumers about the living conditions for the animal products they buy.
The 5 steps are:
- Step 1 indicates the animals don’t live in cages, crates, or crowded conditions.
- Step 2 indicates the animals live in an enriched environment, like shaded fields, or having minimum space requirements.
- Step 3 indicates enriched outdoor access, which might mean seasonal outdoor access or outdoor access with shade.
- Step 4 indicates being pasture-centered, where animals spend most of their time outside, on grass.
- Step 5 indicates being animal-centered, typically not allowing physical modifications and setting regulations for things like weaning.
- Step 5+ indicates the animals spend their entire lives on a pasture
Learn more about each step here.