Food companies set up Global Coalition for Animal Welfare

Seven multinational food companies have joined forces to set up the Global Coalition for Animal Welfare (GCAW) to advance standards in the food supply chain.

The seven include Unilever, Nestle, Aramark, Compass and Sodexo and will all work with animal welfare experts to accelerate the development of high welfare standards.

Cage free policies and improved broiler chicken welfare

Two of the group’s five core goals are directly related to poultry – cage free policies and improved broiler chicken welfare – while the other three relate to antimicrobial resistance, global standards of transportation and slaughter and farmed fish welfare.

70 billion animals farmed for food annually

The GCAW said that more than 70 billion animals are farmed for food annually, with more than 70% of these living in intensive systems, often experiencing poor welfare standards.

In a statement released last week, the GCAW, which also include the Elior Group and Ikea Food Service, said it aimed to “publish an agenda for change in the first half of 2019”.

Antimicrobial resistance

It said the global food system “must maintain high levels of food safety for animal ingredients, address challenges like antimicrobial resistance and mitigate the environmental impact of new approaches.”

Three strategies are to be implemented by the coalition covering:

Closer cooperation with farm animal welfare experts
Develop road maps for industry changes while supporting producers in implementing strong animal welfare practices
Advance animal welfare knowledge globally through industry insights, bespoke research and partnerships for action.