Elior North America is the latest company in the United States to release a suite of updated animal welfare statements and is one of the first companies to include roadmaps for multiple species. Elior North America has pledged to source 100% cage-free eggs and 100% group-housed pork for whole muscle cuts and bacon by 2026. Additionally, the company has vowed to continue progressing with its suppliers toward a future goal of eliminating gestation crates for pigs, one of the worst forms of suffering found in today’s food system. Elior has also updated its commitment and pledged to fully comply with the Better Chicken Commitment, demonstrating a transparent implementation path forward.

Elior Group, a global family of distinct hospitality companies such as Aladdin Campus Dining, Constellation Culinary, Lancer Hospitality, and several others, has grown into one of the world’s leading operators in contract catering. Elior North America is on a mission to provide healthy, delicious meals to every customer so everyone can feel their best and in turn, help their business partners be their best. Elior has focused its supply chain efforts on sustainable sourcing in line with its mission. In this update, Elior North America clearly details its plans to improve its sourcing of sustainable ingredients, highlighting its commitment to animal welfare for laying hens, pigs, and broiler chickens.

Industrial farms have trapped laying hens in cages the size of a sheet of paper and have confined pregnant sows to crates so small they cannot even turn around. Commitments to improve animal welfare from companies like Elior North America help shift the industry toward more ethical ways to treat animals. Elior North America worked directly with CIWF’s food business team to publish these policies, working collaboratively to ensure we end the cage age. CIWF will continue to support Elior North America to ensure all pork products move toward the elimination of gestation crates.

Elior North America is the latest company to release a roadmap with incremental goals to achieve the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC). Elior North America first signed on to the BCC in 2017 and has since set ambitious incremental targets to achieve in the coming years. With this update, Elior also provides detailed reporting for 2023 on each component of the BCC, indicating strong progress since last year.

The BCC is the leading set of scientific standards for better welfare for broiler chickens. Over 230 companies have signed on to the BCC in North America, but only a handful have published roadmaps detailing plans to meet their commitments. This is a timely, crucial ask for companies as nine billion chickens are raised for meat annually in the United States. Improving welfare for broiler chickens is essential to raise the benchmark for these animals.

Elior North America has taken its commitments a step further by joining Compassion in World Farming’s US Working Group for Broiler Welfare. Joining this leading group of corporate innovators demonstrates that animal welfare is a priority to this company, setting the standard for others to follow.