Walmart Canada Makes Commitment To Purchase Beef Sourced From Certified Sustainable Farms

Oct 08, 2021

Walmart Canada will purchase the largest known quantity of beef from certified sustainable Canadian farms and ranches ever sourced by a single retailer.

Beef purchased through this commitment will support the environmental, social and economic sustainability of Canadian farmers and ranchers whose operations are certified through a third-party audited system, in accordance with sustainability standards set by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB).

This is the largest public commitment made by a single retailer to date: 1.5 million pounds of beef sourced from CRSB Certified sustainable farms and ranches will be purchased by Walmart Canada over the next calendar year.

The amount of beef Walmart Canada sources from CRSB Certified sustainable farms and ranches will continue to increase each year.

"Leadership from organizations like Walmart inspires change and supports the Canadian beef sector's continuous improvement goals," explains Anne Wasko, Chair of the CRSB and rancher from Eastend, SK. "The CRSB is honoured to partner with Walmart Canada on this ambitious commitment on its journey towards a more sustainable future."

Walmart Canada sources 100% of its fresh beef in Canada, supporting Canadian ranchers and farmers.

"We're immensely proud of what this commitment signifies to the industry and the impact it will have for our farmers and ranchers, customers, suppliers and partners," said Horacio Barbeito, President and CEO, Walmart Canada. "We're making massive strides towards advancing sustainability within the Canadian beef industry, propelled by our commitment to being a regenerative company and made possible by strong partnerships with the CRSB and our suppliers."

Established in 2014, the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) is a collaborative, multi-stakeholder organization focused on advancing environmental, social and economic sustainability in the Canadian beef industry. The CRSB drives recognition and continuous progress in beef sustainability through benchmarking and setting strategic goals, and communicating on-the-ground continuous improvement. The CRSB's Certified Sustainable Beef Framework, known as CRSB Certified, was developed to recognize sustainable practices through third-party certification, support sustainable commitments for retail and foodservice companies, and build consumer trust through credible, science-based claims about sustainable beef production in Canada.

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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.