Animal Welfare in Food Service and Catering

Food service and catering sectors purchase enormous quantities of animal products. Corporate welfare commitments in these sectors can improve conditions for billions of animals across supply chains.

Key Facts

Food service companies including McDonald's, Subway, and Compass Group have made significant animal welfare commitments
Institutional catering in hospitals, schools, and prisons represents a major purchasing category with welfare influence
Menu reduction of the most welfare-compromising products is often more achievable than sourcing switches in institutional settings
Welfare labeling and provenance transparency in food service menus has grown significantly in response to consumer pressure
Restaurant associations in several countries have developed voluntary welfare commitment frameworks

Welfare Considerations

Food service sector welfare commitments cover vast numbers of animals because of the scale of institutional and commercial catering purchasing. A single major university or hospital food service transitioning to higher-welfare egg supply affects millions of hens over the contract period. Welfare advocacy targeting food service procurement creates leverage across entire supply chains at once. Progress in this sector has been significant, but implementation of commitments lags behind announced timelines in many cases.

What You Can Do

Inquire about welfare standards for animal products at food service establishments you patronize
Advocate for higher-welfare sourcing in institutional catering at your workplace, school, or university
Support food service companies that have made and are delivering on welfare commitments
Hold food service companies accountable to announced welfare timelines through engagement
Donate to organizations monitoring and reporting on food service welfare commitment implementation