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Chickens

Global Impact Report
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As we acquire new companies and add brands, we continually work to integrate them into our supply chain, ensuring they will meet our corporate responsibility commitments.
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Cage-Free Eggs
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We understand that consumers are increasingly requesting cage-free eggs and are proud of the fact that 100 percent of the shell and liquid eggs we purchase for use in the manufacturing of Hormel Foods branded products globally are cage free.

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Broiler Chickens

Hormel Foods works closely and dialogues continuously with our partners who raise and supply the animals that are used in our products.. Through this dialogue, we have been able to implement pioneering procedures for controlled-atmosphere stunning and improved handling of turkeys, and adopt other advanced welfare positions.

We are engaged in ongoing discussions with internal and external stakeholders to make continuous improvements in the welfare of broiler chickens. Led by our Applegate team and as a purchaser of these raw materials, we encourage our suppliers to progressively adopt changes to animal raising systems that will ensure better welfare outcomes for broiler chickens. These improvements include transitions to enhanced enrichments in the growing environment, improved handling for live animals on farms and the implementation of controlled-atmosphere stunning systems at processing facilities.

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Broiler Chicken Commitment
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Hormel Foods has made a commitment to support additional standards for broiler chickens in our Applegate business, working with the industry to achieve these standards by 2024. With Applegate leading the way, Hormel Foods will also work with suppliers, peers and other stakeholders to encourage efforts to achieve the following standards for all broiler chickens in our supply chain by 2024:

  • Offer improved environments in line with the Global Animal Partnership (GAP) standards for better lighting, litter quality and other enrichments.
  • Provide birds with enough space to perform natural behaviors, including stocking densities that provide the best outcomes, in line with GAP.
  • Develop systems to process broiler chickens in a manner that avoids pre-process handling, and instead uses a multi-step controlled atmospheric processing system.
  • Require supplier participation in third-party auditing to track progress.

And by 2028:

  • Transition to breeds of chicken recognized as having improved welfare outcomes, including better overall health, in line with GAP.

Achieving these additional standards for broiler chickens is a complex undertaking that will require industrywide collaboration in order to succeed. We are committed to collaborating across our supply chain to further animal welfare while preserving consumer access to quality, accessible food.

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