At Albertsons Companies, we strive to maintain high animal welfare standards across all areas of our business. Animal
welfare programs and policies are managed by senior members of our sourcing team, who leverage the advice and
counsel of experts from academia and industry. These experts guide us in setting sound, science-based animal welfare
policies and identifying opportunities for continuous improvement. We value their support and counsel on the humane
treatment of animals.
We believe that the farm animals in our supply chain deserve to be treated humanely during every chapter of their
lives. We are committed to the “five freedoms” as stated by the Farm Animal Welfare Council:
- Freedom from Hunger and Thirst
- Freedom from Discomfort
- Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease
- Freedom to Express Normal Behavior
- Freedom from Fear and Distress
Not only do we support the “five freedoms,” but we continue to work with our suppliers to ensure that they are
adopted and implemented.
Pork
We encourage our vendors to limit the use of gestation crates for breeding sows in favor of group-housing systems. To
increase the amount of group-housed fresh pork we can offer to our customers, from 2025-2029, we are committed to
increasing the amount of group-housed single ingredient fresh pork products we purchase each year by 20% of our 2024
volume, subject to potential supply chain constraints and disruptions.
Chicken
Over the last two years, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza has continued to pose significant challenges to the
national poultry supply chain. Albertsons Companies continues to lean on animal-science experts for policy guidance
and on suppliers to make the best decisions for the animals they are raising and handling while ensuring supply for
our customers.
In 2023, more than 60% of liquid and shell eggs available in our stores were sourced from cage-free environments. In
addition, Albertsons Companies' O Organics® and Open Nature® brands exclusively
offer cage-free shell and liquid eggs, and all Own Brands' hardboiled eggs are from cage-free farms.
Dairy
We require all of our dairy suppliers to be certified to the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM)
animal care standards
or a more stringent equivalent. This means our dairy suppliers are committed to quality farm management practices as
well as safe, wholesome dairy products. We joined the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and the Dairy
Sustainability Alliance to advance the efforts of the dairy community by sharing best practices
and improving accountability within the industry.
Audits
We conduct annual humane handling audits through our own internal Professional Animal Auditor Certification
Organization (PAACO) Certified auditor on our Own Brand vendors in addition to requiring our fresh beef and pork
suppliers to have 3rd party validation on-file of meeting the Meat Institute Standards for Humane Handling
guidelines. We are a member of the Meat Institute as well as the Pork Retail Advisory Committee, which meets at
least once a year to review relevant industry issues, including animal well-being.
Antibiotics
We expect our suppliers to manage the use of antibiotics in accordance with FDA guidance documents 209,
213
and 152,
and the American
Veterinary Medical Association Judicious Use Guidelines. Suppliers that do not adhere to local,
state, and federal laws or the guidance listed above when using antibiotics, feed additives and/or supplements are
excluded from our program.
Customers interested in products that are free from antibiotics and added growth hormones can learn more about our O Organics and Open Nature brands
here.