Animal welfare is a vital lens through which to explore the economies, culture and politics of food, standing at the pivotal point between the social and natural, human and animal, scientific and political. This is the first text to provide a much-needed overview of this contentious area of the food industry, drawing together new research and a range of case studies.Guiding a fascinating path through animal welfare issues from farm to fork, Henry Buller and Emma Roe explore how welfare is defined, fought for and implemented by farmers, distributors and consumers. From the practicalities and limitations of establishing a basic standard of care for livestock, to the ethics of selling welfare as a product in the supermarket, this indispensable study offers empirical insight into a key aspect of the global food system: the lives, deaths and consumption of animals at the core of the food chain.