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:

  1. Cage-free policies for hens
  2. Improved broiler chicken welfare
  3. Farmed fish welfare
  4. Antimicrobial resistance
  5. 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.