Heinz champions new animal welfare policies

Sep 15, 2014

Heniz Company, commonly known as Heinz, famous for its ketchup, has joined a series of food companies pledging to do more to strengthen their animal welfare practices.

The shift in policy, is part of the company’s overall sustainable procurement policy, in particular they plan to work with its suppliers worldwide to alter its purchasing practices as it pertains to housing conditions for laying hens.

The company made a commitment saying that by the end of 2015, 20 percent of the eggs they buy will be from cage free farms in the United States. The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International are behind the new policy. Heinz disclosed that it has been working with the groups to introduce the policy change.

In a carefully crafted release, the company said that while it is not a major user of eggs it has decided to pursue a cage-free purchasing choice to meet its egg supply needs.

“Specifically, in the U.K., we use free-range eggs in Heinz Mayonnaise,” Heinz said in statement. “Across all Heinz businesses, we continue to work with our egg suppliers to review and further understand the options and capabilities in cage-free sourcing going forward.”

But the policy extends beyond eggs. The food processor has also vowed to phase out gestation stalls for pregnant sows among its suppliers for pork products. “The company is currently working with its pork suppliers to understand and document their plans to reduce or end the use of gestational crates,” the company said.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.