7 food service giants unite in animal welfare drive

A group of food production and food service companies has joined forces in a global coalition to improve livestock welfare standards.
The Global Coalition for Animal Welfare (GCAW) comprises Aramark, Compass Group, Elior Group, Ikea Food Services, Nestle, Sodexo and Unilever.
GCAW: The numbers
- More than 70% of the world’s 70 billion farm animals are farmed intensively
- The GCAW seven has combined revenues of £121.35bn
- The GCAW serves a combined 3.7 billion customers a day
The partnership has earmarked five key priorities:
- Cage-free policies for hens
- Improved broiler chicken welfare
- Farmed fish welfare
- Antimicrobial resistance
- Global standards for transportation and slaughter
The GCAW hopes to advance animal welfare through:
- Providing a platform for food companies to work with animal welfare experts to identify common objectives and drive improvements
- Prioritising welfare issues and developing plans to change livestock sectors, while supporting producers in implementing strong animal welfare practices
- Advancing animal welfare knowledge globally through industry insights, bespoke research and partnerships.