HONOLULU, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Misleading labels on pork products are causing Hawaii residents and tourists to unwittingly participate in inhumane practices against animals. In response, a coalition of animal protection groups has submitted a petition to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to investigate if "island produced" pork labels, when used on meat from imported animals, are in violation of the Hawaii Meat Inspection Act.

Stressed and exhausted from overcrowded and often filthy conditions, thousands of pigs endure a more than week-long journey from the mainland United States only to be slaughtered on arrival in Honolulu. In 2008, a total of 13,082 pigs were imported from California, Iowa, Montana and South Dakota for slaughter. The purpose of this inhumane and costly practice is to produce meat that can be sold to unsuspecting consumers as "Island Produced Pork." The petition urges the Department of Agriculture to ensure that these labels are reserved for meat produced from pigs born, raised and slaughtered in Hawaii.

"Imported pigs suffer trauma and increased risk for disease prior to slaughter, yet people are led to believe they are purchasing a premium local product," said Dena Jones, U.S. programs director for the World Society for the Protection of Animals, the lead organizer of the petition. "Shoppers depend on package labeling for food product information. To classify these products as originating in Hawaii deceives the consumer."

The petition specifically requests the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to investigate potential Hawaii Meat Inspection Act violations committed by pig importer and pork distributor Hawaii Food Products and specific grocery store chains that label such products: Times Supermarkets, Star Markets and Foodland Super Market. Ultimately the animal protection coalition aims to educate consumers and to halt the importation of mainland United States pigs to Hawaii for slaughter.

The appeal comes on the heels of Governor Linda Lingle's State of the State Address in which she emphasized the need for the state to boost food self-sufficiency. Susan Prolman, Humane Society International director said, "With the state's focus on supporting local farmers by buying locally produced products, now is the time for the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to prohibit the practice of importing live pigs and labeling the meat as locally produced."

The Handle with Care coalition is comprised of leading international animal protection groups that have come together to end the long-distance transport of animals for slaughter. U.S. coalition partners include the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and the Humane Society of the United States/Humane Society International (HSUS/HSI). Other signatories to the petition are Animal Rights Hawaii and Born Free USA united with the Animal Protection Institute. The coalition is currently sponsoring a Honolulu-area bus advertisement informing the public about the "Island Produced Pork," "Island Pork," "Island Produced" and "Made in Hawaii" pork labels. To find out more about this issue, visit www.handlewithcare.tv.

SOURCE World Society for the Protection of Animals