Aroma Espresso Bar Canada has pledged to source all of its broiler chicken meat from operations that adhere to Global Animal Partnership (GAP) or Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) standards.
In doing so, the Canadian company becomes the first company in 2019 to vow to source only GAP-approved broilers, according to a commitment tracker webpage referenced by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
According to the Aroma Espresso Bar Social Responsibility webpage, the company’s goal is to ensure that all of its suppliers share its commitment to “continuous improvement with respect to animal welfare.” By 2024, the company will require its chicken suppliers to do the following for 100 percent of its products:
- Transition to strains of birds that demonstrate higher welfare outcomes that meet the criteria of the RSPCA Broiler Breed Welfare Assessment Protocol or Global Animal Partnership (GAP)
- Reduce stocking density to a maximum of 30 kg/sq. meter and prohibit broiler cages
- Provide birds enriched environments including litter, lighting, and enrichment that meets GAP’s new standards.
- Process chickens in a manner that avoids pre-stun handling and instead utilizes a multi-step controlled atmosphere processing system that induces an irreversible stun.
- Demonstrate compliance with the above standards via third party auditing.
Founded in Jerusalem in 1994, Aroma Expresso Bar has expanded to more than 170 locations worldwide across six countries, including Israel, Canada, and the United States. The company’s first restaurant in Canada opened in 2017 in Toronto. Since that time, it has expanded to a chain of nearly 50 locations across the greater Toronto area and in Southern and Western Ontario.
Prior to Aroma Expresso Bar Canada, the last restaurant chain to be added to the commitment tracker webpage was Luna Grill, which was added November 15, 2018.
Major restaurant chains to have signed GAP broiler pledges include Papa John’s, Sonic, Dunkin’ Donuts, McAlister’s Deli, Schlotzky’s, Subway, Ruby Tuesday, Jack in the Box, Qdoba, Burger King, TGI Fridays, Quiznos and Chipotle.
