Restaurants, cafeterias, hotels, and food chains make purchasing decisions affecting billions of animals. Here's what the industry can do — and what advocates can ask for.
The food service industry — restaurants, cafeterias, catering, hotels, airlines, hospitals, universities, and institutional food service — collectively purchases a massive proportion of all animal products consumed globally. Their sourcing decisions directly determine which welfare standards are viable at scale.
When a major restaurant chain with thousands of locations commits to cage-free eggs or the Better Chicken Commitment, it creates demand for higher-welfare products at a scale no individual consumer can match. This is why corporate campaigns targeting food service companies are among the most cost-effective animal welfare interventions.
Transitioning from battery cage or enriched cage eggs to cage-free is the most widely adopted corporate welfare commitment. Hundreds of major food service companies globally have made cage-free commitments, often with target dates of 2025-2030.
The BCC calls on companies to:
Hundreds of companies have signed the BCC, including major restaurant chains. Implementation is the current battleground — many signatories are behind schedule.
Gestation crate-free commitments eliminate the use of individual confinement stalls for pregnant sows. Hundreds of major US food companies have made these commitments, though implementation has been slower than originally promised due to supply chain constraints.
Increasing the availability and prominence of plant-based menu items reduces aggregate animal product demand. Food service companies that have made plant-based expansion commitments include major fast food chains (McDonalds, Burger King, Subway) and institutional food service operators.
| Certification | Focus | Key Standards |
|---|---|---|
| RSPCA Assured (UK) | Comprehensive welfare | Species-specific high standards; inspected |
| Certified Humane | Farm animal welfare (US) | Strong space and enrichment requirements |
| Global Animal Partnership (GAP) | Tiered farm welfare (US) | Step 1-5+ with increasing welfare requirements |
| Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) | Highest welfare (US) | Outdoor access, natural behaviors, family farms only |
| Organic (EU, USDA) | Multi-criteria | Includes outdoor access requirements |
| MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) | Sustainable fisheries | Focuses on sustainability; limited welfare standards |
| ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship) | Aquaculture sustainability | Includes some welfare indicators |
One of the world's largest food service companies has made commitments to cage-free eggs globally, Better Chicken Commitment compliance, and plant-forward menu initiatives across its institutional food service operations in hospitals, universities, and corporate cafeterias.
The world's largest contract food service company has welfare commitments across all major animal product categories and has worked with welfare organizations to improve sourcing standards. Their scale means their commitments affect millions of meals served daily.
McDonald's cage-free egg commitment (global by 2025) and ongoing engagement with Better Chicken Commitment issues have been focal points for advocacy. As one of the world's largest chicken purchasers, their sourcing decisions affect hundreds of millions of animals annually.
Many universities and hospital systems have made progressive welfare commitments through their purchasing policies, driven by student activism, mission alignment, and the growing evidence that plant-forward institutional food service is operationally feasible and popular.