AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands – JDE Peet’s, the publicly-listed Dutch food and beverage conglomerate that owns over 50 brands including Peet’s Coffee, OldTown White Coffee, Maxwell House and Pickwick, won praise today from international NGO Lever Foundation for issuing a comprehensive new global farm animal welfare policy.
The new global policy, which Lever Foundation helped the company draft, will, among other things, end the use of eggs from caged hens; require fish suppliers to avoid high stocking densities, use less-cruel slaughter practices, and regularly monitor for water quality and disease; require chicken suppliers to adhere to Global Animal Partnership’s standards on stocking density, enrichment and litter; and require beef suppliers to prohibit tail docking and castration without painkillers and provide sufficient enrichment and litter.
The policy will cover the over 100 countries JDE Peet’s operates in, including its over 200 Peet’s Coffee locations in the United States, over 60 Peet’s Coffee locations in China, and over 200 OldTown restaurant locations in Malaysia (where it is the country’s largest Asian restaurant chain), China, Singapore and Indonesia.
“Like our customers, JDE Peet’s is concerned with the welfare of farm animals used in the group’s supply chain and is committed to improving farm animal welfare across our global supply chains,” JDE Peet’s announced in its updated policy.
“We require our direct suppliers of ingredients from animal origin to engage in continuous improvement to promote better standards in quality, safety and animal welfare respecting the Five Freedoms.”
“We congratulate JDE Peet’s for improving the welfare of fish, egg-laying hens, chickens, cows and other animals throughout the company’s global supply chain, including in China and Southeast Asia,” said Kirsty Tuxford, Corporate Engagement Manager at Lever Foundation, which worked closely with JDE Peet’s on drafting its new guidelines.
“Lever Foundation was very helpful from the beginning of our collaboration,” noted Jacek Szarzynski, Partner at JAB Holdings, which owns JDE Peet’s. “By introducing Lever’s insights into the regional supply chains of our portfolio companies, they quickly accelerated the path.”
