Supermarkets praised in welfare awards

Waitrose and Sainsbury’s have been the big winners from this year’s Compassion in World Farming, Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards.

The supermarkets were rewarded for having the best welfare record and were top for selling the largest amount of high-welfare produce.

Waitrose was lauded during the ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London for scoring almost the highest mark in all of the award categories and committing to convert all its fresh and frozen chicken to high-welfare by the end of 2010.

Meanwhile Sainsbury’s picked up the Good Chicken Award and the Supermarket Award for becoming the largest retailer of RSPCA Freedom Foods.

The Co-operative and M&S also won Good Chicken Awards for increasing their share of high-welfare chicken on offer.

Morrisons also rated a mention at the awards as the Most Improved Supermarket, increasing the amount of high-welfare chicken products in their stores.

Many other companies were presented with Good Egg Awards, which rewards companies for their use of free-range eggs, including The Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, the Metropolitan Police, pie manufacturer PieMinister and catering group Compass.

CIWF also announced that next year the awards will be expanded outside chicken and will include a good pig award and a good dairy award.