Published 6/9/2015

Compassion in World Farming Awards Two US Companies For Their Farm Animal Welfare Policies

Compassion in World Farming celebrated two US food businesses, Whole Foods Market and Prêt a Manger US, for their notable work to improve animal welfare standards at their Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards held at the Milan Expo on June 9th. The event was hosted by chef, writer and broadcaster, Allegra McEvedy MBE.

Whole Foods Market and Prêt a Manger have both been awarded with the Good Egg Award for their cage-free egg policies, with Whole Foods Market receiving special global recognition for extending their cage-free policy to all of their international locations. Whole Foods Market has also received a Good Sow Commendation for their policy requiring that sows are never kept in crates throughout their lives, both in pregnancy and lactation.

“Whole Foods Market is proud to receive these awards in recognition for our commitment to improving farm animal welfare,” said Margaret Wittenberg, Global Vice President of Quality Standards at Whole Foods Market. “We are able to contribute to the significant and positive impact on animal agriculture thanks to the partnerships we have with our producers who put equally strong emphasis on the lives and welfare of their farm animals as they do on ensuring high-quality products.”

Whole Foods Market’s award is particularly significant in the US market, where food companies have been slower to eliminate crate housing systems for pigs from their supply chains. The award comes on the back of several companies’ recent announcements that they will be moving away from gestation crates, including Starbucks and Nestles. Whole Foods Market is taking that a step further by never allowing crated confinement, including during lactation. The policy goes as far as to require manipulable material and bedding for sows and applies to all of their pork.

Rachel Dreskin, US Food Business Manager at Compassion in World Farming said: “Whole Foods Market is demonstrating to the entire US market that a 100% crate-free policy for mother pigs is commercially viable. We applaud their leadership. This will send a clear signal to other US companies that the new normal is no cages and crates, and that if you want to be a leader you need to go beyond that as Whole Foods Market has.”

Dreskin continues: “Hens who are housed in barren cages and pigs who are confined in crates experience cramped and uncomfortable conditions with little opportunity to express their natural behaviour. The work by these companies to make significant improvements to their lives should not be underestimated, and illustrates that the shift towards higher welfare farming is spreading globally.”

Globally, 41 awards were presented this year and a over 14 million farm animals are set to benefit each year from this year’s winners’ higher welfare policies.

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Full Award Winners List: (full details of winners’ policies available on request)

Good Egg Award winners
Aunt Bessie’s (Manufacturer – UK – 2014 Award winner)
BIO vom BERG (Manufacturer - Austria)
Colruyt (Retailer - Belgium)
Colruyt (Retailer - France)
Coop (Retailer - Sweden)
Ferrero (Manufacturer – Italy)
Garrets (Food Service – Europe)
Groupe Schiever - ATAC, Bi1, Maximarché (Retailer - France)
Irma (Retailer - Denmark)
Kaufland (Retailer - Germany)
KLM (Food Service - Netherlands)
Kvickley (Retailer - Denmark)
McDonald’s (Food Service - United Kingdom)
McDonald’s (Food Service - Netherlands)
Migros (Retailer - Switzerland)
Qizini (Manufacturer - Netherlands)
Pret a Manger (Food Service - US)
Real (Retailer - Germany)
St Michel (Manufacturer - France)
Wholefoods (Retailer – Global)

Good Chicken Award winners
Qizini (Manufacturer - Netherlands)
Gran Selezione Pollo dal Piemonte (Manufacturer - Italy)
Wholefoods (Retailer - UK)
WIESENHOF Privathof-Geflügel (Manufacturer – Germany)

Good Dairy Award winner
Jamie Oliver Group (Food Service - UK)

Good Dairy Commendation winner
McDonald’s (Food Service - France)

Good Calf Commendation winner
Blade Farming (Manufacturer – UK)

Good Pig Award winners
Denhay (Manufacturer - UK)
Dingley Dell (Manufacturer - UK)
Wholefoods (Retailer - UK)

Good Sow Commendation winners
Fumagalli (Manufacturer – Italy)
Wholefoods (Retailer - US)

Good Rabbit Award winner
BreFood (Manufacturer – Germany)

Good Rabbit Commendation winners
Colruyt (Retailer – Belgium)
Kaufland (Retailer – Germany)
Real (Retailer – Germany)
Terrena (Manufacturer – France)

Best Retailer Award winner
Waitrose (Retailer – UK)

Best Retailer Innovation Award winner
Coop (Retailer – Switzerland)

Best Retailer Marketing Award winner
Colruyt (Retailer – Belgium)

Special Recognition Award
Knorr (Manufacturer – UK)

Photographs from the Awards Ceremony will be available for download from 10 June using the following link: https://goodfarmanimalwelfareawards.sharefile.com/d-s7dbd0132d3b4a73b

For further information on the Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards run by Compassion in World Farming, please contact: Nina Farley at nina.farley@ciwf.org or 443-812-2081.

Notes to editors:
Compassion in World Farming is recognized as the leading international farm animal welfare charity. It was founded in 1967 by Peter Roberts, a British dairy farmer, who became concerned about the development of intensive factory farming. Compassion in World Farming’s Food Business team engages with the world’s leading food companies, inspiring progress through prestigious awards and supporting products and initiatives which represent tangible benefits for farm animals. To find out more about the work of the Food Business team, visit www.compassioninfoodbusiness.com.