Whole Foods expands animal welfare review

Whole Foods Market has three new third-party animal welfare organizations to certify its quality standards for meat products, the Amazon-owned grocer announced. 

With the goal of increasing accountability and transparency in its program that aims to ensure that animals are raised humanely, the expanded program will also give more suppliers access to the grocery chain, Whole Foods said in a press release. 

“Expanding the scope of our meat standards is just another step forward in providing high-quality choices for our customers,” Wes Rose, vice president of Perishables at Whole Foods, said. 

The new third-party review providers include A Greener World’s Certified Animal Welfare Approved, Humane Farm Animal Care’s Certified Humane Raised and Handled, and Regenerative Organic Alliance’s Regenerative Organic Certified.

The company said the new programs will include animals not previously covered by existing groups such as bison, veal, venison, duck, goose, and quail. 

The new review will also cover frozen, smoked, cooked, and cured products sold in its meat departments. 

“Every product in the retailer’s meat department is already required to meet Whole Foods Market’s existing quality standards of no antibiotics ever, no animal byproducts in feed, no synthetic nitrates or nitrites, required inspections for animal welfare at slaughter, and no crates, cages or tethers,” the grocer said. “Whole Foods Market also requires no added hormones through feed, injections, implants or any other method.”

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