Metz Cullinary Management, a Pennsylvania-based foodservice provider, has signed a pledge to source all of its broilers from farms that follow Global Animal Partnership (GAP) standards.
In its recently released sustainability report, the company stated that it has asked its broiler suppliers to take the following actions for 100 percent of its chicken supply by 2024 or sooner:
- Meet the GAO maximum stocking density standard
- Provide chickens with enriched environments including natural light, litter, hay bales and perches that meet GAP standards
- Use GAP approved genetic strains for slower-growing chickens
- Humanely render chickens unconscious prior to shackling using controlled or low atmosphere stunning
- Demonstrate compliance with those standards through a third-party auditing system.
Metz Culinary Management, according to its website, was established in 1994 by entrepreneur John C. Metz as a custom dining management service company with a “Guest First” philosophy serving a variety of market segments, including healthcare, corporate dining, higher education and independent and public school dining.
The company is also a restaurant franchisee. Among the restaurants it operates are 11 TGI Friday’s locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and two Krispy Kreme locations, among others.
Other supply chain purchase pledges
The company’s sustainability report also includes pledges concerning crate-free pork, cage-free eggs and suppliers who use low- or controlled-atmosphere stunning with turkeys.
Metz Culinary intends to eliminate the use of gestation crates from its pork supply chain by 2019 and eggs from cage-raised hens by 2020. The company said it will “continue to work with” suppliers concerning its turkey supply.
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.
