July 12—Sodexo annouced it has begun phasing out the use of gestation stalls in its pork supply chain. The food management company hopes to eleiminate the use of gestation stalls by 2022.
“Sodexo is a company committed to strategically partnering with our clients to meet their consumers’ needs. We source products that meet stringent requirements for a wide range of factors, including value, nutrition, safety, quality, environmental impact and animal welfare,” said Deborah Hecker, vice president, sustainability and CSR, Sodexo. “Today we are taking a big step forward in meeting client needs, consumer interests and improving animal welfare by asking all of our pork suppliers for clear plans to remove gestation stalls from the production process by 2022.”
Sodexo has initiated a review process in its North American operations whereby it is asking all of its primary pork suppliers for their plans to not only eliminate gestation stalls from the farms that they own and operate, but also their contracted pork operations as well. Suppliers must provide Sodexo with actionable plans by 2017, detailing how they plan to achieve this.
“Gestation crates confine pigs to such an extreme state that the animals are virtually immobilized for nearly their entire lives,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. “The impact of Sodexo’s announcement significantly advances the industry’s progress toward a more humane and sustainable food system.”