Premier Foods among top performers globally on animal welfare

The Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW), the global measure of company performance on farm animal welfare, has again named Premier Foods among its top global performers.

Premier Foods, one of the UK’s largest food producers, is one of just four firms recognised with ‘Tier 2’ status, the highest ranking of all companies included in the benchmark. It joins M&S and Waitrose in achieving the accolade for the second year running.

The award is reserved for companies that have made farm animal welfare an integral part of their business strategy and achieved a score of between 62-80% against all BBFAW criteria.

Premier Foods is one of just three companies to have also achieved a high ‘B’ Impact Rating grade for the first time, demonstrating the meaningful welfare improvements the business is making for animals within its own operations and across the supply chain. The company continues to collaborate with NGOs including Compassion in World Farming and Four Paws, and it has also been singled out recently for particularly strong progress under the Better Chicken Commitment.

Gareth Pullan, Director of Procurement at Premier Foods, said: “I’m delighted we have been recognised as one of the top global performers on animal welfare by the BBFAW. This clearly demonstrates the commitment of our procurement colleagues as they maintain their focus on safeguarding and improving welfare standards within our supply chain.

“As one of the UK’s largest food producers we have an extensive and complex supply chain, which enables us to drive meaningful progress for both our business and support our suppliers to do the same. We have integrated farm animal welfare into our procurement approach and contracts, reviewing supplier performance on an annual basis and conducting additional spot checks.

“Through the commitments in our Enriching Life Plan and our ongoing collaboration with colleagues, suppliers, and industry partners, we remain committed to driving continuous improvements in animal welfare.”

The BBFAW measured 150 global food companies across 51 criteria and 5 pillars against a set of rigorous benchmarks including animal welfare management, policy commitment, performance and disclosure, ranking each business from tiers one to six. Read the BBFAW press release here.