Press release
Catering company Aramark has announced its support for the European Chicken Commitment. All of the caterer’s chicken meat products will meet the initiative’s criteria by 2026. The decision was made following constructive discussions with the Albert Schweitzer Foundation and The Humane League.
Companies that join the commitment guarantee, among other things, a lower stocking density, more daylight and a reduction in overbreeding. In Aramark’s case, this adaptation of husbandry conditions affects not only Germany but also the company’s services in Spain, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Great Britain and Ireland. The seemingly long-term deadline of 2026 must be assessed against this background: the large-scale conversion of the breeding lines alone will take several years.
Mahi Klosterhalfen, president and CEO of the Albert Schweitzer Foundation, is pleased with the success and the longstanding good cooperation: »In 2009, following talks with us, Aramark was one of the first companies to choose not to use cage eggs any more. Now, the company is extending its exemplary commitment to broiler chickens«.
Aramark is the second largest caterer on the German market. So far, three of the ten top-selling catering companies in Germany have already joined the European Chicken Commitment. Besides Aramark, this includes Sodexo and the Compass Group.
»Aramark has always been committed to promoting sustainability in the selection of ingredients in order to minimize the impact on people, animals and the environment,« says Jürgen Vogl, President of Aramark Continental Europe. »The new initiative expands our commitment to animal welfare. In 2016, we announced far-reaching improvements in the USA and Canada. Now, Europe will follow. This is part of the work we are doing as a founding member of the Global Coalition of Animal Welfare, an organization founded in 2018 with the aim of promoting animal welfare worldwide.«
»International industry giants such as Sodexo, Compass and the Elior Group are among the supporters of the commitment,« adds Klosterhalfen. »I am convinced that the entire catering sector will follow suit soon.«
Read more about the European Chicken Commitment here. Aramark’s statement can be found on this website.