CIWF Logo Food Business
Accessibility
Search icon

What is it you're looking for?

Search icon
Close searchClose icon

Transforming Food Businesses: Collaboration for Higher Welfare and Sustainability

We work in partnership with market-leading supermarket retailers, food service companies and manufacturers/producers that can impact the largest numbers of animals and develop sustainable supply chains that are fit for the future.

We believe in collaboration and a solutions-led approach, developing relationships that are based on trust, mutual benefit and reward for progress.

We have access to a wide network of international experts and industry contacts and can provide B2B linkages between our food industry partners to help companies progress towards their higher welfare and sustainability goals.

Find out more about the different industry sectors we work with below.

Supermarket Retailers

Supermarket Retailers

Read more

Most of our food purchases takes place in supermarkets, granting retailers significant influence over the welfare standards adopted with their supply and their ability to advocate for more sustainable food choices, owing to their enormous buying power.

Compassion works with major retailers across Europe and, progressively, with prominent stakeholders in other regions, to elevate welfare standards and to secure commitments to help reduce the reliance on animal sourced foods, and transition towards more regenerative farming practices. 

Compassion’s biennial Supermarket Survey forms the central focus of our engagement work with supermarket retailers. Through the Survey, we have forged close working relationships with the retail sector which has opened up channels for continuous improvement and reaped significant results in raising welfare standards.

The results of the survey are used to produce bespoke, comprehensive gap analysis reports for companies, scoring and ranking supermarkets anonymously against their peers. Our Retailer Awards are based on the findings of Supermarket Survey and enable us to recognise and celebrate the wide and varied positive work being carried out within the retail sector.

Find out more about the Retailer Awards.
Food Service

Food Service

Read more

Compassion is privileged to work with some of the largest, forward-thinking global foodservice and contract catering companies, such as KFC, McDonald’s, Subway, Compass Group, Sodexo and Aramark.

We offer support on how to adopt and implement higher welfare policies and practices, working with supply chain partners, and encourage initiatives to reduce the reliance on animal-sourced foods.

We have a tailored approach to support individual business needs, encouraging knowledge transfer through collaboration with like-minded companies, and promoting best practice through our case studies and technical resources.

We recognise leaders in this sector through our prestigious Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards which offer a framework for continuous improvement across species and product portfolios, enabling companies to promote their support for ethically produced food.

Read more about the companies in this sector that have been awarded for their Innovation and Marketing initiatives.
Manufacturers

Manufacturers

Read more

Compassion works with leading manufacturers and well-known brands, encouraging them to adopt higher welfare standards across their product portfolios.

We work with the biggest companies, like Unilever, Mondelēz International, Danone and Barilla, that can make change on a large scale and have the biggest impacts on animal welfare and sustainable food production.

We celebrate progress through our Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards and work with companies on a range of partnership projects. These projects focus on improving welfare in specific areas of the supply chain, for example, phasing out caged production and introducing higher welfare standards for broiler chickens and fish.

Read more about the companies in this sector that have been awarded for their Innovation and Marketing initiatives and view our latest technical resources and case studies.

Company Testimonials

For more than a decade, Compassion in World Farming have been a highly respected and important partner for Compass. By embracing an engaging, practical and collaborative approach, they have been instrumental in helping us drive forward improvements in farm animal welfare practices across our supply chain globally. Through our continued partnership, we look forward to accelerating positive impacts for farm animals and a more resilient and sustainable supply chain over the next few years.

Pieter Lemmer, Director of Sustainability Execution & Responsible Sourcing, Compass Group PLC

We’re proud of our open and supportive partnership with the team at Compassion in World Farming in the UK and Ireland, they are a fountain of knowledge. They are wholly pragmatic in terms of the realities faced by businesses striving to improve the welfare of animals in the supply chain, such as commercial impact and the time it takes to implement change. They continually challenge us to do better, and work hard to provide credible expertise led by the science, which is invaluable to their partners.

Jenny Packwood, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, KFC Pan-Europe and UK & Ireland

Compassion in World Farming has been an essential partner for Danone on our animal welfare journey. They have guided us in setting commitments and delivering on key achievements, from building, deploying and renewing a global animal welfare assessment tool to sharing best practices in several countries and projects. There’s no question, our impact would not be the same without them.

Cees Jan Hollander, Global Farming Expertise Manager, Danone

The collaborative efforts of Marfrig and Compassion in World Farming fill us with immense pride and inspiration. Through the animal welfare training facilitated by CIWF, significant strides have been made in promoting humane animal management across our entire production chain. We actively engage with our suppliers, embracing the best global practices advocated and disseminated by CIWF. Together with CIWF, we continually learn and refine our approach, fostering a commitment to advancing the animal welfare agenda with heightened transparency and credibility. We extend heartfelt gratitude for this invaluable partnership, wishing for its enduring strength as it plays a pivotal role in the positive evolution of livestock farming and ensures sustainability within the sector.

Paulo Pianez, Director of Sustainability and Communication, Marfrig

One-stop-shop for business success

Ready to elevate your food business? Partner with us at every stage of your journey. From shaping your business agenda to strategizing supply chain changes, charting continuous improvement paths, and celebrating your successes, we provide the right support at the right time. Contact us today.

Contact Us

SME’s and Public Sector Awards

Since 2007, we have recognised over 500 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and public sector organisations (e.g. local authorities, hospitals and universities) for their higher welfare policies, practices and commitments to improve the lives of hens, broiler chickens, dairy cattle and pigs through our Good Egg Award, Good Chicken Award, Good Dairy Award and Good Pig Award. We commend these organisations for demonstrating leadership and for their commitment to improving farm animal welfare by producing, sourcing, and promoting products from higher welfare systems to their customers.

Our aim is to encourage a holistic approach to food production that drives transformational change for farm animal welfare, reduces the reliance on animal sourced foods and moves us to more nature-friendly regenerative farming practices.

In order to drive this change, our Food Business strategy has shifted focus to concentrate on working with global food companies that have the ability to effect change at scale, and help us address the current climate, nature and health crises which have been exacerbated by the growth of industrial farming.

While we encourage SME and public sector organisations to continue to support higher welfare, sustainable farming practices through their production and sourcing policies, we will no longer be awarding organisations in these sectors.

We do, however, offer a range of online resources – and companies can refer to our species-specific  Awards criteria – to help you develop your own animal welfare policies.

Globe

You are using an outdated browser which we do not support. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience and security.

If you have any further questions regarding this, or any other matter, please get in touch with us at supporters@ciwf.org.uk. We aim to respond to all queries within two working days. However, due to the high volume of correspondence that we receive, it may occasionally take a little longer. Please do bear with us if this is the case. Alternatively, if your query is urgent, you can contact our Supporter Engagement Team on +44 (0)1483 521 953 (lines open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm).