The Co-op has become the first convenience retailer to announce it will move to high-welfare meat across its Continental supply chain by the end of the year.
The chain will fully meet its cage-free commitment across its Spanish, German and Italian meat, meaning products like prosciutto, parma ham, salami, mortadella and chorizo are now sourced without farrowing crates and sow stalls.
The SKUs will be from pigs raised without confinement, which reinforced the supermarket’s longstanding dedication to animal welfare and responsible sourcing, it said.
“Meeting our 100% cage-free commitment across our Continental meat range is a significant step forward for Co-op and reflects our unwavering dedication to lead the way in improving animal welfare standards across our supply chains,” said Joseph Keating, Co-op’s senior agriculture manager.
“Our long-term partnership with The Compleat Food Group has been instrumental in delivering these improvements, and together we’re proud to set a new benchmark for the industry.”
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This builds on a commitment made by The Co-op in 2018 to remove farrowing crates and sow stalls from the Co-op’s fresh pork, bacon, sausage, gammon and ham ranges.
The development has been welcomed by Compassion in World Farming, whose research attests nearly 300 million farmed animals in the EU spend their lives trapped in cages.
Its global director of food business, Dr Tracey Jones, said: “Combined with its UK outdoor-bred pig production, and free-range eggs and own-brand egg products, the Co-op is demonstrating leadership in advancing the cage-free agenda.”
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