The RSPCA, the charity behind the Freedom Foods accreditation scheme, has revealed that a bottle of wine, a DVD or a box of chocolates, just some of the treats it says shoppers indulge in every week, are no more expensive than the price of higher welfare food. The charity said the perception that higher welfare food is too expensive is slowing uptake of the produce.

In a new survey to mark Farm Animal Week, 70 per cent of UK adults cited cost as being a reason for not buying more higher welfare food, including Freedom Food, free range and organic produce.

However, the charity said that a basket of higher welfare food could be as little as five pounds more expensive than a non-higher welfare basket containing similar products. It said the majority (67 per cent) of people surveyed thought the price difference would be significantly more.

The survey’s findings will come as a blow to higher welfare producers and organisations as the news follows a recent consumer survey from IGD, the food and grocery research body, which recently found that animal welfare standards have risen up the list of priorities for shoppers when choosing food and grocery products. In January 2010, 19 per cent of shoppers said that animal welfare standards influenced their shopping decisions, compared with just 10 per cent in 2006.

Celebrity chef and farm animal welfare supporter Antony Worrall Thompson acknowledged that price perception can be a major barrier to buying higher welfare, “I often meet people that just assume higher welfare food means a much higher cost, and simply rule out these labels without even checking the price.  But as this survey shows, good welfare doesn’t always have to cost as much as you might think. 

“A higher welfare chicken, such as Freedom Food, can cost just 86p more than a standard one – that’s less than the price of a lottery ticket; a small price to pay for good farm animal welfare.”

The survey did also reveal that 38 per cent of UK adults would be prepared to give up one of their regular treats - such as lottery tickets, a bottle of wine or a takeaway - and spend the money instead on higher welfare food. The Freedom Foods scheme has used the results to urge consumers to choose higher welfare options as part of Farm Animal Week.