Subway, Dunkin’, Chick-Fil-A, and Other Brands Fail To Make Animal Welfare Improvements
Blog
Some global food brands are failing farmed animals by not improving animal welfare standards, according to our latest BBFAW report launched in partnership with Compassion in World Farming.
The leading global measure of corporate action on farmed animal welfare
The 2020 Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) report 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 farmed animal welfare.
More surprisingly, one in five (31) of these global food companies has no farmed 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 Albertsons, BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Chick-fil-A, Mars, and Subway. Mars and Subway have been assessed annually since BBFAW started in 2012, yet they continue to lag significantly behind their peers on farmed animal welfare.
Brands stepping up for farmed 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.
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’
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.
Chickens crammed together in a cage
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 who 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 that 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 organization will continue to take an active interest as Four Paws and Compassion in World Farming support and drive forward the BBFAW program as it enters its second decade.
Take Action
You can help fix our broken food system for a better, kinder world. Pledge to stand up against low-welfare factory farms, reduce your overall consumption of meat and dairy, vote for initiatives that restrict the sale of factory-farmed products, and support humane and sustainable producers wherever possible.