PEOPLE like to choose foods that are good for them - but they are now being asked to consider how the animals they are eating were treated as well.

The RSPCA has launched a new section of its website dedicated solely to animal welfare-friendly products.

The "conscientious consumer" section allows shoppers to make an informed choice about where they shop and the products they buy.

The site - www.rspca.org.uk/consumers - aims to increase pressure on supermarkets to review their policies with regard to animal welfare.

It provides a useful shopping guide on how major retailers fare on policies on egg production, the way chickens are bred for meat, and live transport of animals.

The RSPCA survey, carried out over the past two years, found:

n Marks & Spencer did well across all surveys.

n Tesco achieved "average" scores in the surveys.

n The Co-op and Waitrose were in the top three for three out of the four surveys.

n Sainsbury's scored highly in the live transport survey but came in the bottom three in the two egg surveys.

n Asda was in the bottom three for all surveys.

n Morrisons did not respond to any of the surveys.

"The website is a one-stop shop for consumers looking for information to make informed decisions on their food purchases," said Chloe Alexander, RSPCA campaigner.

"If enough people boycott a certain product or store, supermarkets in turn might raise animal welfare standards."

To help people make their choice, the website also provides a useful overview of the logos found on food packaging.

These include the Little Red Tractor, Soil Association, Lion Quality Eggs, and the Vegetarian Society stamps.

The RSPCA will be repeating surveys and commissioning new ones every year as well as publishing the latest results on its site.

It hopes by doing this it will encourage low-scoring stores to raise their standards of animal welfare. The site gives advice on how lobby supermarkets.

It has been given the backing of local producers, including Mike Harper, manager of the Top Barn Farm shop in Worcester Road, Holt Heath.

"We produce the majority of the meat we sell here, although some comes from neighbouring farms," he said.

"We have found that consumers like to know where their food has come from - we have notice boards up telling them the origins of the meat they are buying.

"And as supermarkets are consumer led I think this website could be very influential.

"I think it is a good idea and will hopefully go a long way to ensuring animals are treated properly."

Chef Rick Stein, who is endorsing the site, agrees.

"The best foods come from producers who really look after their animals," he said.

"Asking supermarkets to source their products from less intensive, more welfare-friendly farms will not only give you much tastier eggs and meat, but it will also prevent cruelty, and give millions of a animals a better life."

The website also offers a downloadable leaflet giving more details on food labelling, as well as handy hints and tips on what to look out for when shopping.