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Starbucks' new animal welfare policy 'most extensive of any restaurant chain"

December 23, 2014

Starbucks last week introduced its new animal welfare-friendly practices, which the Humane Society of the United States is calling "perhaps the most extensive of any restaurant chain." 

HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle said Starbucks' policy is especially comprehensive because it includes both shell and liquid eggs. 

In its blog,Starbucks outlined the practices, which were created in partnership with the HSUS. 

"Just as with our coffee, Starbucks' goal is for everything we sell to be produced under high quality and ethical standards. For the food and dairy we serve, this means a commitment to social responsibility standards with animal welfare as a primary focus. We are committed to working with and buying from farmers and suppliers who share our commitment to humane practices throughout an animal’s lifecycle," the company wrote. 

Highlights include: 

• Supporting responsible use of antibiotics to support animal health
• Eliminating the use of artificial growth hormones, and for poultry, fast growing practices
• Addressing concerns related to dehorning, tail docking, and castration both with and without anesthesia
• Phasing out gestation crates for pigs and cages for chickens
• Specifically, our priority is to ensure we offer food made with ingredients such as cage-free eggs, gestation crate-free pork, and poultry processed through more humane systems such as CAK.

Starbucks acknowledged that some of its international markets may not have the same "regulatory rigor" in place and will use its US standards as guidelines for those locations. 

The company is also encouraging its suppliers to address these issues industrywide. 

Pacelle praised Starbucks' announcement. In his blog, he wrote:

And what Starbucks is doing is not only better for animals, it’s also business savvy. Consumers simply don’t want farm animals being caged, or genetically manipulated to grow unnaturally large, or mutilated without pain killers. We live in a society where major corporations increasingly recognize that its customers want to see animals treated with decency.