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Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s set 10-year goal on pork supplier gestation stall use
Story Date: 7/9/2012
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Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 7/6/12
CKE Restaurants, owner of the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s restaurant chains has set a goal of transitioning to acquiring all of its pork from suppliers that use group sow housing instead of gestation stalls by 2022, according the Humane Society of the United States.
HSUS issued a news release quoting excerpts from a statement CKE emailed to the group. Here is the full CKE statement, sent to Meatingplace:
“CKE Restaurants, Inc. supports the humane treatment of animals, having requested its pork suppliers to develop practical and sustainable alternatives to the use of gestation stalls and to transition to a group housing environment for sows. Following its 2007 commitment, CKE Restaurants has sought guidance from Dr. Temple Grandin, the industry’s leading animal welfare expert, in directing its pork suppliers to work toward implementing alternative housing for pregnant sows by 2022. Currently, CKE purchases the majority of its pork from suppliers which utilize group-housing methods, and as pork producers transition away from gestation-crate-raised sows, CKE will strive to completely transition its pork supplies to only utilize animals raised in group housing situations by 2022.”
CKE did not issue its own news release. CKE Director if Public Relations Beth Mansfield explained to Meatingplace, “We issued a statement to HSUS after reviewing the current animal welfare policies in the industry. This is an update to our 2007 statement that we would purchase 15 percent of sows from group housing situations.”
“CKE was one of the first major restaurant chains to begin moving away from gestation crate pork, and we applaud the company for continuing its evolution toward its goal of a gestation crate-free supply chain,” said Paul Shapiro, vice president of farm animal protection for The HSUS. “Consumers care about how farm animals are treated, and cramming them in cages where they can barely move for their entire lives is simply out-of-step with those values.”
Since February, other leading food companies, including McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Denny’s, Cracker Barrel, Sonic, Kroger and Safeway, have announced various moves toward sourcing pork from suppliers that do not use gestation stalls.
For more stories, go to http://www.meatingplace.com/.
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