The welfare of farm animals within our global supply chain is important to us and is a key element of our Responsible Sourcing strategy.
We are committed to continuously enhancing and harmonising animal welfare standards throughout our global supply chain. This strategy is supported by ongoing efforts to increase the visibility of our complex supply chain and make more informed procurement decisions.
Progress in 2021
Despite significant supply chain disruption and Covid-19 closures, we continue to make positive progress on farm animal welfare, including our global commitment on cage free eggs and regional commitments around higher welfare chicken.
In the USA we have doubled our sourcing volume of animal proteins from ranches and farms certified as humane by Humane Farm Animal Care. All bacon served in our cafes now comes from higher welfare group-housed pigs.
- Plant-forward meals are a key component of our sustainability strategy in relation to both carbon footprint reduction and farm animal welfare. In 2021, we announced a commitment to reach Climate Net Zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across our global operations and value chain by 2050, and a reduction in usage of animal proteins is a key enabler to achieving this goal.
- Additionally, our UK and Ireland business announced a commitment to reach Net Zero emissions by 2030. The roadmap for this overarching commitment includes targets for a 25% switch away from animal proteins by 2025 and a further 15% switch by 2030.
- We have been assessed annually by the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) since its inception in 2012 and we are pleased to have maintained our Tier 3 ranking in their latest report.
- Our whistleblowing programme, Speak-Up, was relaunched in October 2021. Accessible internally and externally, confidential reporting channels are provided by our new independent third party provider and it is available in all of the countries in which we operate in the reporting party’s chosen language.
Using our scale and expertise to influence change
We continue to work with our suppliers and partner organisations across the globe, such as: Compassion in World Farming, Humane Society International and The Humane League to further research and develop our animal welfare standards.
Recognising that improving farm animal welfare standards is increasingly a collective issue for our industry, we took the decision to become a founding member of the Global Coalition for Animal Welfare (GCAW) in 2018. GCAW is the world’s first industry-led initiative aimed at advancing animal welfare globally. We work with other major companies to improve animal welfare standards at scale and to meet consumer demand for food products from animals reared in systems that promote good welfare.
GCAW members are aligned around a desire to collectively address systemic barriers to improving animal welfare, accelerate the development of standards and drive progress on key welfare issues. GCAW is currently focused on three species-specific priority workstreams addressing the welfare of laying hens, broiler chickens and pigs.
We share GCAW's aim to advance animal welfare knowledge globally through several different approaches, including conducting bespoke research. For example, as GCAW, we commissioned an independent report in 2019 into the challenges of transitioning to cage free egg production in China. Find out more about GCAW and its approach to animal welfare here.
Our journey to date
- In 2016, our industry leading position on animal welfare issues was recognised by our inclusion in Fortune’s Change the World list of 50 companies that have had a positive social impact through activities that are part of their core business strategy. This coincided with our commitment to source 100% cage free eggs globally by 2025.
- Also in 2016, our US business picked up a further two awards in the same year with a 2016 CiWF Good Egg Award and a 2016 Henry Spira Award for Humane Corporate Progress to mark their commitment to cage free eggs.
- In 2017 we collected a second Henry Spira Award for our commitment to broiler welfare standards as our US business became the first food service company to commit to 100% healthier, slower growing chicken by 2024 through a landmark Global Animal Partnership (GAP) agreement. This will result in improving the lives of around 60 million broiler chickens per year in the US.
- In 2018, we refreshed our sustainability strategy which comprises three strategic priorities: Health & Wellbeing; Environmental Game Changers; and Better for the World, which includes Sourcing Responsibly.
- In 2018 we became a founding member of the Global Coalition for Animal Welfare (GCAW).
- In 2019 we made the commitment to further improve the lives of millions of broiler chickens across Europe. By 2026, Compass Group has committed to meet the European Chicken Commitment (ECC) for 100% of the chicken meat it sources for Europe. In addition, in France, at least 20% of these chicken meat volumes will come from farms that guarantee that the birds have access to free range or to a winter garden.
- In 2020, we are pleased to have maintained our Tier 3 ranking from the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW). We have been assessed by the BBFAW since its inception in 2012.
SUPPLY CHAIN CERTIFICATION
Recognised farm assurance schemes continue to provide us with robust frameworks for the management of farm animal welfare across our global supply chain. Below are examples of where we have partnered with schemes that deliver benefits directly to farm animals.
Compass Group UK & Ireland achieve Red Tractor certification for fresh milk
Compass Group UK & Ireland, the UK's largest food and support services firm, has received Red Tractor certification for the fresh milk served across its 10,000 UK sites.
Red Tractor certification acts as a mark of quality and trust, ensuring the journey from farm to packaging follows the rigorous standards set by the largest food standards scheme in the UK.
Transparent and ethical provenance is key to gaining the accreditation. This means all fresh milk must originate from responsible British farms, which only use fertilisers and pesticides when completely necessary, and that the whole supply chain is checked to ensure total compliance.
Through achieving the certification, Compass will now display the Red Tractor logo at sites throughout the UK - communicating to clients and consumers the quality of the fresh milk being served.
Richard Cattel, Head of Marketing & Communications - Assured Food Standards (Red Tractor), commented: "We are delighted to be able to certify Compass Group UK & Ireland's fresh milk. Through working with the catering company we can confirm the sourcing practices meet the high standards we set on quality and provenance. Responsible sourcing is paramount to achieving the Red Tractor certification. As the only whole chain scheme we can ensure that products displaying our logo originate from British farms and are produced to some of the most comprehensive and respected standards in the world."
RAISING AWARENESS
Menus
We are proud to share our farm animal welfare credentials with our consumers throughout our menus, where we aim to increase consumer awareness of higher animal welfare. Some recent examples include:
- The Championships, Wimbledon 2021 where we served free range egg sandwiches
- Free range chicken served at the Brit Awards
- Increased Vegan menus at our Levy venues
Lapin d'Or
In 2019, our business in France received a Lapin d'Or (Good Rabbit) commendation from Compassion in World Farming for its plans to improve the living conditions of rabbits.
Animal Welfare Training Programme
In partnership with Compassion in World Farming, we ran animal welfare training for our UK sourcing team. This enables our procurement professionals to conduct research into the various higher welfare sourcing options available to us.
REPORTING ON OUR PERFORMANCE
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on Compass Group. Our global operations were significantly disrupted as a result of the rapid development of the pandemic outbreak and associated containment activities. At all times our priority has remained the health and safety of our employees and customers and the safe reopening of our business.
The Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) is instrumental in continuing to both shape our approach and drive performance on farm animal welfare, as it provides us with a clear set of expectations and a robust framework for policy development, implementation and the measurement of outcomes that directly benefits farm animals. Our progress on Animal Welfare was recognised by the Benchmark in 2020 when we maintained our Tier 3 rating.
We are now in the process of transitioning from a focus on the implementation of Farm Animal Welfare processes, policies and commitments towards routine reporting on performance and the corresponding impacts on farm animal welfare across our global multi-tiered supply chain.
We continue to make positive progress on our farm animal welfare commitments. To oversee management and compliance across our global supply chain, we have nominated a Group Farm Animal Welfare Officer.
Through some of the early supply chain assessments, data has indicated positive compliance, for example:
Eggs
In 2021*, 34% of our liquid eggs and 25% of our shell eggs were purchased from cage free sources. On a regional basis, our liquid egg purchasing from cage free sources was: North America (39%), Europe (20%) and Rest of the World (2%). For shell eggs, the breakdown was: North America (77%), Europe (17%) and Rest of the World (5%).
- Our USA business transitioned 100% of our liquid eggs to Certified Humane cage free in 2021
- Our UK and Ireland business achieved 100% free range eggs from 2022
- 100% of laying hens are free from beak trimming and tipping for our Belgium, Netherlands and Sweden Markets
Note - our 2022 financial year figures will be reflective of the UK and USA uplift in cage free purchasing.
*This data is representative of our top 25 operating countries (together representing 97% of our global revenue).
Pork
- 100% of livestock free from sow stalls/gestation crates and tail docking in our Belgium, Norway and Sweden markets
- 100% of livestock transported within a maximum eight hour live journey time for our UK, Belgium, France, Italy, Norway and Sweden markets
- 100% pre-slaughter stunning for our UK, Belgium, France, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Spain and Portugal markets
- 100% of the bacon served in our cafes in USA comes from higher welfare group-housed pigs
Chicken
- 100% of livestock transported within a maximum 8 hour live journey time for our Belgium and Norway markets
- 100% pre-slaughter stunning for our Belgium, Norway and Sweden markets
- In 2020, 100% of the fresh chicken we sourced in the UK was certified to Red Tractor standards
Dairy
- 100% of livestock are tether free for our Belgium and Norway markets
- 100% of livestock are free from tail docking in our Belgium, France and Norway markets
- In 2020, 91% of the fresh milk we sourced in the UK was certified to Red Tractor standards
Farmed FinFish
- 100% free from routine mutilation for our Italy market
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