Corporate Changes Pave the Way for Animal Protection

The best way to prevent animal suffering is by simply avoiding animal-derived products altogether, but we recognize that the world is not going to go plant-based overnight (wouldn’t that be great, though?!). While we continue to advocate for consumers to go plant-based, our Corporate Outreach department is constantly working behind the scenes to encourage businesses to implement meaningful policies that will end some of the cruelest farming practices and improve the lives of animals.

Furthermore, corporate campaigns raise awareness about the plight of farmed animals everywhere by increasing visibility about these issues in the public space. For some consumers, reading a petition targeting their favorite fast food chain is the first time they may have considered what life is like for the animals raised for food.

PROGRESS! After talks with Animal Equality, prepared meal company Freshly has adopted The Better Chicken Commitment—a set of standards that eliminates the worst abuses chickens face in the meat industry. This step in the right direction will impact millions of chickens’ lives. pic.twitter.com/elQgRGjejS

— Animal Equality (@AnimalEquality) May 24, 2021

HERE ARE SOME OF OUR MOST RECENT CORPORATE POLICY ACHIEVEMENTS: 

• UNITED STATES – FRESHLY ADOPTS THE BETTER CHICKEN COMMITMENT: After talks with Animal Equality, prepared meal company Freshly agreed to implement The Better Chicken Commitment—a set of standards that eliminates the worst abuses chickens face in the meat industry. This step in the right direction will impact millions of chickens’ lives.

• SPAIN – MAJOR EGG PRODUCER DITCHES CRUEL “COMBI” CAGE SYSTEMS: After dialogue and negotiations with Animal Equality and another animal protection organization, Rujamar, a major Spanish egg producer, has committed to removing all of the internal partitions and doors from with their “combi” (combination) cage systems by 2022 as well as no longer investing in them. Combi cage systems are multi-tiered structures that have doors so although birds can roam when the doors are open, the system converts into more cramped cages when the doors are closed. This decision will affect approximately 500,000 hens.

• GERMANY – FIRST CORPORATE CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED: Along with another organization in Germany, Animal Equality Germany launched its first corporate campaign specific to the country. Our team in Germany is working to persuade supermarket chain REWE to sign on to the European Chicken Commitment, a minimum set of standards that would eliminate some of the cruelest farming practices. Instead of committing to overall higher welfare standards for chickens, REWE is trying to implement a “high-welfare” product line. However, we will continue to encourage REWE to implement the commitment to ensure that all chickens  in the supermarket’s supply chain are avoiding the worst abuses that often take place on farms. 

• EUROPEAN UNION – PIZZA DELIVERY COMPANY ADOPTS EUROPEAN CHICKEN COMMITMENT: After a dialogue with Animal Equality and another animal protection organization, Food Delivery Brands, a leader in pizza delivery in Europe, agreed to implement the European Chicken Commitment by 2026. We estimate this will affect approximately one million chickens a year. 

• SPAIN – PAPA JOHNS TO GO CAGE-FREE: Papa John’s Spain has agreed to go cage-free by 2025 following a discussion with Animal Equality. We hope this victory will help some of Papa Johns’ larger competitors in the country to also consider ditching cages in their egg supply chains. 

• MEXICO – BAKERY CHAIN TO GO CAGE-FREE: Following dialogue with Animal Equality, Antares, a bakery chain in Mexico with 25 locations in the states of Querétaro, San Luis Potosi, and Guanajuato has committed to going cage-free by 2025. This progress will impact approximately more than 20,000 hens per year. The company has also committed to publicly reporting on their progress each year, so we can ensure that their commitment is followed with action.

• SPAIN – FOOD AND BEVERAGE FRANCHISING GROUP TO GO CAGE-FREE: Comess Group de Restauración is a leading food and beverage franchising group with over 300 locations in Spain, which has committed to going cage-free by 2025. We estimate that this commitment will affect approximately 60,000 hens per year. What’s more, the company has also committed to not sourcing eggs from “combi” housing systems that have the potential to trap hens in severe confinement. 

HELP US MAKE EVEN MORE PROGRESS: The above steps in the right direction all took place within just the last six months! You can help our Corporate Outreach team achieve even more by joining our online action team, The Animal Protectors. Once you sign up, we’ll send you occasional easy online actions that hold corporations accountable and push them to reduce suffering for the animals in their supply chains. Eliminating some of the worst abuses chickens and hens face on factory farms is the least companies can do, and small actions like signing a petition or commenting on a company’s social media post can make a world of difference for animals.