A new free browser extension from Consciously allows consumers to almost immediately see if their preferred purchases online at sites like Amazon.com or WholeFoods are plant-based and cruelty free.

Consciously rolled out the browser extension in partnership with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)’s Shop With Your Heart, a program launched in 2016, and as endorsed by the American Welfare Institute (AWI).

Adding the free browser extension causes an unobtrusive window to pop up along the side of a screen, showing whether a clicked on purchase is plant-based, as well as cruelty-free, made in the USA, or created by a small, women-owned, or Black-owned business.

The browser extension currently has more than 7,000 companies listed and is adding information every day. Users who note any missing information from their favorite products can be part of that process.

“We encourage our users to let us know that if a brand is cruelty-free (or plant-based) to hit the ‘Help Us Improve’ button, which allows them to flag products for us to update,” Consciously told Lady Freethinker.
Consciously added that sometimes labels can be confusing, and companies, through clever wordsmithing, will say a product is certified or free-from something. The company investigates those claims.
“We strive to make sure our sourcing is trusting and accurate,” Consciously said. “If a consumer comes across a product in our database, we encourage them to read the labels super carefully – or choose one from our recommended list that’s been vetted.”

A growing number of compassionate consumers are fed up with factory-farmed meat, dairy, and eggs, said Dena Jones, director of AWI’s farm animal program. 

“Consciously makes it easy for consumers to choose plant-based products that help our planet,” she said.

Nancy Roulston, the ASPCA’s Farm Animal Welfare senior director of corporate policy and animal science, also sees the browser extension as a way to move away from incentivizing animal suffering.

“This exciting addition of plant-based guidelines into the Consciously platform will help online shoppers make decisions that can move our food system away from the cruelty of factory farming,” Roulston said. “Choosing more plant-based food is a powerful way to decrease animal suffering, which we know is driving more and more consumers’ shopping choices.”

Kim Pieper, founder and CEO of Consciously, encouraged curious consumers to give the browser extension a shot.

“We’re confident that our browser extension will help the growing number of Americans who are committed to finding plant-based alternatives.”

For more information about Consciously and to get it for free, click here. 

Consciously

(Photo Credit: Consciously)