Whitsons Culinary Group, a foodservice company headquartered in Islandia, New York, has pledged to only source broiler chickens raised according to Global Animal Partnership (GAP) standards and liquid eggs from cage-free hens.
The company vowed to make the transition concerning its broiler supply by 2014 and its cage-free egg supply by 2020.
Whitson’s had earlier pledged to source all of its shell eggs from cage-free hens and, when possible, from free-range hens. It also has committed to source all of its pork from suppliers that do not use gestation crates, as well as poultry that has been produced without the use of antibiotics also used in human medicine.
GAP standards call for the following criteria:
- Using broiler breeds scientifically proven to have markedly improved welfare outcomes
- Providing chickens with more space (maximum stocking density of 6 lbs./sq. ft.) and improved environments, including lighting, litter and enrichments
- Eliminating live shackling and dumping and ensuring birds are rendered unconscious through multistep controlled atmospheric stunning, which is universally considered more humane, prior to slaughter
Whitson’s provides food services to private and public schools, corporate dining and health care facilities throught the Northeastern United States, the company stated in a press release.
Learn more about the slower-growing broiler issue
Poultry industry professionals can learn more about animal activists’ push for slower-growing broilers at the 2017 Chicken Marketing Summit. The event will include a panel of experts with experience communicating with activists, buyers and consumers to discuss the issues and the types of conversations that poultry marketers need to be having with both consumers and poultry buyers.
The Chicken Marketing Summit will be held July 16-18 at the Grove Park Inn, Asheville, North Carolina. For more details on the Chicken Marketing Summit, please visit www.wattglobalmedia.com/chickenmarketingsummit.
