You may not have known, but part of Whole Food Market’s mission includes a promise towards the humane treatment of animals and they are winning accolades for their animal welfare practices. The company has been recognized with both the Good Sow Commendation and the Global Good Egg Award from Compassion in World Farming.
The Good Sow Commendation recognizes companies that use or are committed to using higher welfare system for sows. The criteria includes requiring the animals have no confinement and adequate bedding material throughout the life of the animal. The Good Egg Award recognizes companies that use or are committed to using cage-free eggs or egg products. For the last decade, all of the fresh eggs sold in Whole Food’s Market’s dairy cases have come from suppliers that follow cage-free production methods.
Additionally, all fresh pork sold at Whole Foods Market comes from farms that have been certified by the Global Animals Partnership’s 5-Step Animal Welfare Program. “Whole Foods Market is proud to receive these awards in recognition of our commitment to improving farm animal welfare. We require all shell eggs sold in our stores and all eggs used in our kitchens and bakeries to be cage-free. And through our adoption of the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Program, the lives of sows associated with our fresh meat program have been greatly improved," said Margaret Wittenberg, global vice president of Quality Standards at Whole Foods Market. "We are able to contribute to a 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 has more than 420 stores in the US, Canada, and the UK.
