Mães porcas em gaiolas de gestação na pecuária industrial intensiva

A huge number of food brand giants fail to make animal welfare improvements, according to 2020 BBFFAW report

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Subway, Starbucks, Dunkin’ Brands, Chick-fil-A, and many other global food brands are failing farm animals by not improving animal welfare standards, according to the 2020 BBFAW report launched in partnership with Compassion in World Farming

The leading global measure of corporate action on farm animal welfare

The 2020 Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) report, launched today (March 30), reveals that 59 of 150 companies reviewed rank in the lowest tiers (tiers 5 and 6), indicating that they provide little or no information on their approach to farm animal welfare.

More surprisingly, one in five (31) of these global food companies has no farm animal welfare policy at all.

There is some encouraging news, however: 23 companies moved up at least one tier. Yet the average score for companies overall is just 35%, showing there is much room for improvement.

Some of the lowest scoring companies – ranked in tiers 5 and 6 of the Benchmark – are: Autogrill, Gategroup, Groupe Lactalis, Mars, Mercadona, Müller Group, Subway, SSP Group, Starbucks, and Umoe Gruppen, all of whom have been assessed annually since BBFAW started in 2012, yet they lag significantly behind their peers on farm animal welfare.

Brands stepping up for farm animals Leading names such as Marks and Spencer and Noble Foods rank high, reflecting their hard work improving animal welfare in their supply chains.

The most improved companies since the BBFAW was launched in 2012 include Nestlé, Sodexo, Barilla and Waitrose, which have moved up an impressive three tiers since they were first assessed.

Vacas lecheras en una granja industrial

Milking cows by an automatic industrial milking rotary system in a modern diary farm. Image credit: iStock.com/Sergio Hanquet

The full list of 150 companies

Cranswick

Marks & Spencer

Noble Foods

Waitrose

Barilla

Cargill

Coop Group (Switzerland)

Co-op UK

Danish Crown

Fonterra

Greggs

Groupe Danone

Hilton Food Group

J Sainsbury

Marfrig Global Foods

Mitchells & Butlers

Nestlé

Premier Foods

Tesco

Unilever

Whitbread

Wm Morrison

Woolworths Group

2 Sisters Food Group

ALDI Nord

ALDI Süd

Arla Foods

Auchan Holding

BRF

Carrefour

Casino

Charoen Pokphand Foods

Cheesecake Factory (The)

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Coles Group

Compass Group

Domino’s Pizza Group

Elior Group

Hormel Foods Corporation

IKEA (Inter IKEA Group)

JBSJD Wetherspoon

Jeronimo Martins

KraftHeinz

LDC Groupe

Les Mousquetaires

Lidl Stiftung & Co

Maple Leaf Foods

McDonald’s Corporation

Migros

Minerva Foods

Mowi

Perdue Farm

REWE Group

Royal FrieslandCampina

Schwarz Unternehmens Treuhand/Kaufland

Sodexo

Tyson Foods

Vion Food Group

Yum! Brands

Agro Super

Ahold Delhaize

Aramark

Associated British Foods

Campbell Soup Company

Camst

Colruyt

Coop Italia

Cooperativa Centrale Aurora Alimentos

Coopérative U Enseigne

Cooperl Arc Atlantique

Costco

Cremonini

Darden Restaurants

Edeka Group

Ferrero

Gruppo Veronesi

ICA Gruppen Kroger Company (The)

Metro AGOSI Group

Papa John’s Pizza

Plukon Food Group

Restaurant Brands International

Saputo

Sysco Corporation

Terrena Group

Tönnies Group

Walmart Inc/Asda

Wendy’s Company

WH Group

Albertsons

Amazon/Whole Foods Market

Bimbo

BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings

Chick-fil-A

ConAgra

Cooke Seafood

Cracker Barrel

Dunkin’ Brands

Dairy Farmers of America

E.Leclerc

Empire Company/Sobey’s

General Mills Inc

Groupe Lactalis

H E Butt Company

Hershey CoInspire Brands

JAB Holding Company

Kerry Group

Loblaw Companies Limited

Mars

Meiji Holdings

Mercadona

Mondelez International

Publix Super Markets

Sanderson Farms

Seaboard Corp

SSP Group

Starbucks

Subway/Doctor’s Associates

Target Corporation

Umoe Gruppen

UNFI

US Foods

Aeon Group

Autogrill

Bloomin’ Brands

C&S Wholesale

Cencosud

China Resources Vanguard

China Yurun Group Limited

Chuying Agro-Pastoral Group

CKE Restaurants CNHLS

Conad Consorzio Nazionale

Couche-Tard

Dico’s/Ting Hsin International Group

Gategroup Holding

Habib’s

Industrias Bachoco

Lianhua Supermarket Holdings Co

Maruha Nichiro

Müller Group

New Hope Liuhe Co

Nippon Ham

Seven & i Holdings

Wens Foodstuff Group

Yonghui Superstores Co

Zhongpin

Changes needed

Company data indicates that more needs to be done to deliver positive welfare impacts for animals, including:

  • Only one in eight companies reports on the proportion of laying hens free from beak trimming. Of these, just four companies (3%) report that more than 25% of laying hens in their global supply chains are free from beak trimming.
  • Only one in eight companies reports on the proportion of broilers from breeds that have better welfare due to a more natural growth rate. Of these, just one company (<1%) reports that more than 25% of broiler chickens in its global supply chain are from strains of birds with improved welfare outcomes and with a slower growth potential.
Kippen in kooi in de vee-industrie

Chickens crammed together on a factory farm. Image credit: iStock.com/roibu

Some positives for animals

While there is clearly a long way to go, there were some encouraging moves, such as:

  • The percentage of companies that report on the proportion of broiler chickens from breeds that grow at a more natural pace resulting in improved welfare outcomes has increased to 13% from just 4% in 2019. While this proportion is still low, this was a new question added to the Benchmark in 2019 and scored for the first time in 2020.
  • Thirty-one percent of companies, compared to just 21% in 2019, report on the proportion of animals (including fin fish) in their global supply chains that is pre-slaughter stunned. While we welcome this improvement, the vast majority of companies still do not report this data.

Motivation for lasting change

Consumer interest and growing momentum for companies to take an interest in animal welfare shows why the world’s most influential food companies should be willing to change and continue to improve year on year.

Steve McIvor, World Animal Protection CEO, said:

“COVID-19 has brought new challenges like never before, but despite this, we must continue to accelerate and drive forward the animal welfare movement. We must do better for the world’s 50 billion animals that are factory farmed each year, causing immense suffering. Not only do the cruel practices of intensive farming subject animals to misery, but they expose us to potential diseases and risks too. The BBFAW tool exposes those companies that care for animals, and those who do not.

“Animal cruelty is becoming more and more important for consumers – producers, supermarkets and restaurants would be foolish to ignore it. This tool brings all the commitments together in one place, providing a clear and transparent scorecard for all to see.”

The future of BBFAW

From April 2021, we will hand over the BBFAW baton to Four Paws International. We, alongside Compassion in World Farming, have steered BBFAW since its inception in 2012 by providing the vision, dedication, technical expertise and financial support.

Our organisation will continue to take an active interest as Four Paws and Compassion in World Farming support and drive forward the BBFAW programme as it enters its second decade.

Animal cruelty is becoming more and more important for consumers – producers, supermarkets and restaurants would be foolish to ignore it.

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