As you may recall, G.A.P.’s Better Chicken Project established a research-based protocol for evaluating broiler chicken breeds based on behavior, meat quality, production, and consistently superior welfare outcomes. And now you can purchase this chicken at your local Whole Foods Market store.

“G.A.P.’s certification and labeling requirements are built into every product bearing the new Better Chicken label,” said Malissa Lucas, Director of Certification Services at EarthClaims, LLC, the North American certifying agent for G.A.P. “I have visited these birds on farm, and it is impressive to observe their activity and energy levels, particularly the way they fully interact with their living environment.”

G.A.P. worked with multiple stakeholders, including producers, farmers, and advocates to create the label and standards. La Belle Patrimoine, Pitman Farms, and Cooks Venture Poultry Inc., are all G.A.P. Certified partners and the first to grow these remarkable birds.

Mike Charles, of LaBelle Patrimoine, a longtime G.A.P. partner, was one of the first farms to make this commitment: “We are incredibly proud to be a part of this program, which proves that the right combination of breed and animal welfare are what truly make a better chicken. It has always been my mission to raise healthy, active broiler chickens of the highest quality and taste.”

Leading welfare advocates were also a key part of this undertaking. “Most chickens in the U.S. are selectively bred for rapid growth with genetics that predispose them to pain and suffering,” says Nancy Roulston, Senior Director of Corporate Policy and Animal Science at the ASPCA. “G.A.P.’s new Better Chicken Project Certified label builds on its groundbreaking work assessing chicken breeds for objective animal welfare criteria to help consumers identify more humane options in the marketplace. The ASPCA is thrilled to recognize the industry-leading farmers and food brands that adopt this label through our Shop With Your Heart program.”

“The welfare of broiler chickens is one of the most important issues in farm animal protection, globally says Dr. Sara Shields, Director of Farm Animal Welfare Science at Humane Society International.  “G.A.P.’s new, science-based breed eligibility requirements have industry-wide transformative potential. I am grateful to the farmers embracing these meaningful changes and to consumers who are making conscientious purchasing decisions.”

So, the next time you’re at Whole Foods Market, look for G.A.P.’s Better Chicken Project label and #MakeitGAP! To learn more about the labels and what they mean, visit our Better Chicken page. To learn more about the entire multi-year research process for coming up with eligible breeds, visit our Better Chicken Project page.

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After developing standards and certifying operations for nine land animal species including chickens, turkeys, beef cattle, pigs, lambs, laying hens, bison, and goats, aquaculture was a natural next step for us. With the exponential increase in salmon farming in recent years, we saw an opportunity to make an impact. As with all of our standards, we have created a fish welfare program that puts the animal first and is meaningful to all sizes and types of operations across the supply chain. 

The G.A.P. farmed Atlantic salmon standard was also developed with a multi-stakeholder approach, working with farmers, scientists, retailers, and NGOs to develop a comprehensive, tiered standard with sophisticated scoring systems for monitoring and management. Our new fish standard is focused on welfare throughout the fish’s lifecycle from hatch to harvest. Even the slaughter facilities must pass a G.A.P. welfare audit to be certified. You can find out more about G.A.P.’s tiered certification by visiting our new standards page here. All G.A.P. farmed Atlantic salmon standards include: 

• enrichments at all life stages (like sea kelp and bubbling systems);
• stocking density requirements;
• “cleaner fish” care and management;
• daily water quality monitoring;
• non-lethal predator control;
• skin and body conditioning monitoring; and
• slaughter requirements.

“G.A.P’s new salmon standard is a game changer in terms of animal welfare in the aquaculture industry. It will provide much-needed guidance, support and accountability to a sector that has faced major animal welfare concerns. We are thrilled to see a standard that is so comprehensive in its animal welfare indicators and hope that this can serve as a catalyst for other standard-making bodies,” affirms Catalina Lopez-Salazar, Director of the Aquatic Animal Alliance at the Aquatic Life Institute.

“Fish are sentient animals capable of suffering and feeling pain, so it’s important that we protect their welfare. The new G.A.P standards for Atlantic salmon are now the highest and most comprehensive available,” said Ben Williamson, US Director of Compassion in World Farming. “While a ban on the use of cleaner fish in salmon farms remains a long-term goal of Compassion in World Farming, G.A.P.’s  requirements for humane slaughter, environmental enrichment, and the prohibition of detrimental sea lice treatments are all welcome additions to minimum welfare considerations for farmed salmon. This is also the first time we’ve seen bans on lethal and injurious predator control methods for any species at this scale.”

If you are working at a farmed salmon operation and are interested in being G.A.P. Certified, please contact us today at info@globalanimalpartnership.org. If you’d like to learn more about our new tiered standards, you can view them here. Thanks for your support in helping us #MakeitGAP!

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Retailers worldwide are actively looking for brands with third-party certifications that demonstrate to consumers that they are paying attention and meeting their values. Over the past five years, retailers like Walmart, Thrive Market, and Albertson’s, among many others, have made it part of their mission to increase their supplier and product diversity, and part of that includes sourcing brands that have meaningful claims and certifications like G.A.P. Animal Welfare Certified.

Retailers embrace the G.A.P certification with open arms

Retailers of all sizes around the U.S. have taken a strong interest in adding G.A.P Certified products to their shelves. Major grocery chains like Whole Foods Market, Thrive Market, Common Market, and Natural Grocers carry G.A.P Animal Welfare Certified products in their fresh meat departments. At the same time, prepackaged items with G.A.P. certification can be found at Walmart, Food Lion, and online at Amazon, Mom’s Organic Market, Harris Teeter, Weis Market, Safeway, and Target. National Co+Op Grocers also work with about 200 independent grocers that carry G.A.P. Certified products.

Notably, there has been a rise in pet brands certified by G.A.P available across U.S. stores. Certified pet food brands like Fresh Pet, Open Farm, Tender & True, Earth Animal, and Canidae are sold within specialty pet stores, small chains, independents, online, as well as Petco, Petsmart, Amazon, and Chewy. For more information about pet food trends and the importance of animal welfare claims to pet owners, check out our blog with great stats and information.

Leveraging RangeMe with G.A.P. certification

Getting noticed by retailers like the ones mentioned above can be a challenge, especially for emerging brands. That’s why G.A.P. chose to partner with RangeMe to help build awareness of our claim with new brands, and introduce more G.A.P. Certified items into more outlets so that consumers have a choice when they are shopping for meat and pet products.

RangeMe is an online platform that brings suppliers and retail buyers together for the discovery and purchasing of innovative, emerging products. RangeMe works with more than 200,000 product suppliers and manufacturers, as well as 15,000 retail buyers worldwide from national banners to independent retailers. Through RangeMe, both retailers and suppliers get insight into trending data that shows them how CPG is moving and growing—and the role that various certifications have in that growth.

Not only does RangeMe help buyers discover innovative new products, suppliers have access to several tools to help them successfully manage and grow their brands. This includes RangeMe insights, tools, and services, including direct communication to several certification partners. Suppliers who hold a G.A.P. certification can showcase their products and certifications on their RangeMe profile, take advantage of any exclusive retailer submission opportunities, and appear in select buyer searches. And suppliers without the certification can easily reach out to G.A.P under RangeMe Services to inquire about the benefits.

RangeMe also offers tools that allow suppliers to access data that can help manage products, market their brand, build brand awareness, and gain insight into the CPG industry. Getting retail-ready can be a challenge for emerging brands, but RangeMe Services can help with the aspects that small brands can sometimes struggle with, such as insurance, labeling, product images, and more.

G.A.P. and RangeMe—better together

If you are a new brand looking for opportunities to leverage your G.A.P. Certification, check out RangeMe. RangeMe and G.A.P. are aligned in their mission and goals around sustainability, ethical production and sourcing, and an overall commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria.

“Consumer behaviors are continually evolving, and providing retailers and suppliers the ability to source innovative products that meet consumer values is critical for success in CPG,” says Brandon Leong, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Growth for RangeMe. “We are helping pave the way toward more mindful product sourcing, and partnering with certifications like G.A.P. help us provide more avenues for supplier success on their retail journey.”

If you’re a retailer or brand, learn more about RangeMe at: https://www.rangeme.com/suppliers.

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While many small-scale producers are actively adopting and implementing humane practices, logistical issues and costs can serve as a barrier to entering a certification program. To help farmers achieve the certifications necessary, the project will leverage G.A.P.’s existing model and program specifically designed for the small-scale producer.

“We are proud to present the 2020 AAF Award to G.A.P. and believe this project is a natural fit for AGCO and the AAF, as we are committed to ensuring animal well-being while producers meet the growing demand for protein around the world,” said Metti Richenhagen, Director, AGCO Agriculture Foundation. “G.A.P.’s expertise in animal welfare and food systems, strengthened by our alignment with AGCO’s sustainability commitments, will help farmers in North America enhance their animal welfare practices while improving their profitability.”

The project will create a self-sustaining peer network for producers at G.A.P. project sites and a cost-effective audit model for small-scale production. The team will also initiate supplier-based support for animal welfare and production skills and create a supply chain that supports local communities.

“With G.A.P.’s extensive partner base and network, we are now poised to help small-scale producers overcome the barriers around animal welfare,” said Anne Malleau, Executive Director of G.A.P. “The pandemic has highlighted the interest and demand for local or regional food systems that small-scale producers could engage in. Through this partnership, we want to expand our commitment to continuously improve and drive meaningful change in animal welfare for farm animals.”

Interested in learning more? G.A.P. is looking for small-scale chicken producers to help us kick start this project and begin to build a network. Please email us at info@globalanimalpartnership.org to get started.

About AGCO Agriculture Foundation (AAF)
The AGCO Agriculture Foundation (AAF), initiated by AGCO Corporation (NYSE: AGCO) in 2018, is a private foundation with the vision to prevent and relieve hunger. The foundation initiates impactful programs that support food security, foster sustainable agricultural development and build needed agricultural infrastructure in marginalized farming communities. AAF is domiciled in Vaduz, Liechtenstein and operations are managed from Duluth, Georgia, USA. For more information, please visit https://www.agcofoundation.org/

About AGCO
AGCO (NYSE:AGCO) is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and precision ag technology. AGCO delivers customer value through its differentiated brand portfolio including core brands like Challenger®, Fendt®, GSI®, Massey Ferguson® and Valtra®. Powered by Fuse® smart farming solutions, AGCO’s full line of equipment and services helps farmers sustainably feed our world. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, USA, AGCO had net sales of $9.1 billion in 2020. For more information, visit www.AGCOcorp.com. For company news, information and events, please follow us on Twitter: @AGCOCorp. For financial news on Twitter, please follow the hashtag #AGCOIR.

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The study, which included more than 7,500 broiler chickens from 16 different genetic strains, and took two years to complete, was led by researchers Drs. Stephanie Torrey and Tina Widowski at the University of Guelph, in Ontario, Canada. G.A.P. secured funding for the project, and the researchers secured additional funding from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. In-kind contributions were provided by Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance and major poultry genetics companies. The study was designed and conducted independently at the University of Guelph.

 “This study was the first multi-disciplinary research project of chicken welfare to include carefully chosen indicators such as behavior, physiology, anatomy, production, and meat quality together into one research project. No other broiler chicken welfare research project has been done on this scale,” said Dr. Widowski.

In 2016, G.A.P. announced that by 2024, it would replace 100 percent of chicken breeds that result in poor welfare outcomes with breeds meeting specified welfare outcomes within its 5-Step^® Animal Welfare Certification Program. Currently used commercial breeds have a history of welfare issues that this study seeks to address.

“Throughout G.A.P.’s history as an animal welfare certification program, we have continued to pioneer innovative improvements to how animals are raised; however, regardless of how well broiler chickens are reared, there’s still an issue with the birds themselves. Our vision was to use the findings from this study to identify multi-disciplinary factors that could objectively support change within our existing standards program,” said Anne Malleau, G.A.P. executive director.

Based on the final results of the Guelph study, a multi-stakeholder technical working group of experts has been assembled to assist G.A.P. with drafting protocols for assessing breeds for use in their program in the future.

A summary of the study results is available to the public by accessing G.A.P.’s Better Chicken Project page here.  This summary represents key parts of the research; however, additional analysis and further data will be released in the future.  A key finding of the study is that even under controlled conditions with excellent management, fast-growing broiler chickens face significant animal welfare trade-offs such as less activity and poorer mobility, higher rates of muscle myopathies (e.g. woody breast, white striping), and potentially inadequate organ development. All results from the study will eventually be published in peer-reviewed journals by the researchers involved in the study.

As hundreds of large food and hospitality companies have pledged to address broiler chicken welfare as part of their corporate social responsibility commitments, G.A.P. offers a path toward meeting those promises with its highly regarded animal welfare certification and labeling program. Consumers should beware of vague or undefined claims of chicken welfare: by looking for the G.A.P. certification seal, they will know that they are truly buying chicken raised to science-based welfare standards.

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We are all still committed to delivering a high integrity, meaningful program and we will continue to provide updates as needed. We hope that you and your families remain healthy, and thanks for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Anne Malleau

Executive Director

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We’ve notified our certification partners that they should take every precaution during this time to limit the potential spread of COVID-19. Therefore, we have authorized them to suspend all travel to minimize risk to our farm network, their families, the surrounding communities, and our certification partners. 

G.A.P. is working to support farmers and suppliers who continue to raise animals and bring food to our table during this time. We hope that the collective effort around the globe will successfully minimize the impact of this pandemic. We’re all in this together.

Sincerely,

Anne Malleau

Executive Director

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G.A.P. Display at the Annual Meat Conference

Earlier this month, G.A.P.’s Business Team attended The Meat Conference in Dallas, TX hosted by FMI/NAMI. This annual event focuses entirely on the business of meat and poultry for the retail channel. The conference is a comprehensive education and networking experience, attracting retailers looking to increase their bottom line.

A trade show within the conference highlights products, services and trends—the ideal platform to preview G.A.P.’s rebrand, scheduled for full release in April. Spiking consumer demand for meaningful label claims, particularly around animal raising practices, has launched G.A.P. into the mainstream marketplace, making it the perfect time to set up shop at The Meat Conference. G.A.P. partners were out in full force too — occupying 10% of the show floor with many more in attendance. The collective presence of G.A.P. opened the door to new opportunities.

G.A.P. MEANS BUSINESS

Adding value across the supply chain is key to our growth and success. From working with producers to maximize utilization to developing a communications strategy with a retail partner, we are a hands on team focused on partner success. G.A.P. supply meets a variety of needs spanning multiple species and systems, with more than 1200 certified products that offer a risk management edge–3^rd party audits at every farm we certify, every 15 months. Simply stated, if we don’t see it…we don’t certify it.

G.A.P. REBRANDING 2019

Featuring a new label design with flexibility for an expanding market, the large-scale brand refresh also includes a new website, partner portal and added tools and resources for G.A.P. certified partners. GAPgear.org, also launching in April, will add wearables and housewares to the mix. Proceeds from the brand extension will fuel G.A.P. programs and outreach.

Certified products with the new label will begin hitting store shelves in May. The unique attributes of the 5-Step program are embedded in a clean and compact design with simplified language to maximize brand recognition for a growing consumer audience.

Contact G.A.P. for Business: LPA@globalanimalpartnership.org

Visit us: CertifiedGAP.org | GAPgear.org

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