Hain Celestial, the former parent company of the FreeBird, Plainville Farms and Empire Kosher poultry companies, is one of the latest food manufacturers to pledge to source only chicken raised according to Global Animal Partnership (GAP) standards.
“Hain Celestial is committed to the humane treatment of animals and ensuring that animal-based products are sourced and produced responsibly. We believe that this commitment to animal welfare results in more healthful and ethical products,” the company said in its broiler welfare commitment announcement.
As a part of this commitment, Hain Celestial will require that our chicken suppliers meet the following requirements for 100% of Hain Celestial products in the United States by 2024:
- Maximum stocking density of 6.0 lbs./sq. foot and prohibit broiler cages.
- Provide birds enriched environments including litter, lighting, and enrichment that meets GAP 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 all standards via third-party auditing.
- Transition to strains of birds approved by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) or GAP, based on measurably improved welfare outcomes.
Hain Celestial’s former chicken and turkey brands, FreeBird, Empire Kosher, and Plainville Farms, were all part of the Hain Pure Protein (HPP) subsidiary. However, then-Hain Celestial CEO Irwin Simon announced in February 2018 the company’s plans to divest of HPP to better concentrate on its more profitable natural and organic product lines.
The sale of the Plainville Farms turkey operations was completed in February 19. The assets were acquired by a new entity know as Plainville Brands LLC, which consisted of a group of private investors. Terms of that transaction were not disclosed.
On July 1, 2019, the remainder of Hain Celestial’s equity interest in Hain Pure Protein, which consisted of the FreeBird and Empire Kosher assets, was sold to Aterian Investment Partners for a price of $80 million.
