Whitsons Expands Commitment to Animal Welfare Initiatives

Islandia, New York, May 31, 2017 -- Whitsons Culinary Group, a provider of food services to private and public schools, corporate dining, healthcare, throughout the Northeast, today announced a renewed commitment to its sustainable supplier sourcing and animal welfare initiatives in all of its contract managed accounts.  This is part of Whitsons’ new Simply Rooted™ food philosophy and sustainability platform which is based on delivering wholesome, all-natural, and affordable meals to everyone’s table.

“We  are  strongly  committed  to  the  highest  quality,  safest  purchasing  practices,  which  include sustainable  sourcing  initiatives  that  will  improve animals’  lives,  as  well  as  strict   compliance  standards  for  all  our  vendors.  We  have  been  working  with  our   supply  chain  in  preparation  for  these  latest  initiatives for quite some time,  which  are  critical  aspects  of  our   responsible  purchasing  practices,”  explained  Douglas  Whitcomb, Chief Product Officer for Whitsons Culinary Group.  “In order to effect change, earth  stewardship  must  be  on  everyone’s  agenda,  from  supplier  to  manufacturer  to  consumer.  We  are  proud  to  play  a  role  in  supporting  the  advancement  of  animal  welfare  in  our purchasing  practices.”  

Whitsons has already committed to:

• Sourcing 100% shelled eggs from cage-free hens (or pasture-raised whenever possible).
• Sourcing 100% of pork from producers who don’t use gestation crate systems.
• Purchasing poultry that has been produced without the use of non-therapeutic antibiotics and chicken and pork products that are hormone-free.  Free-range, organic, and grass-fed is served whenever possible.
• Purchasing seafood from sustainable sources. Salmon is wild-caught and tuna is dolphin-safe.

By 2020, Whitsons plans to purchase all cage-free liquid eggs.

By 2024, the company will source only chickens certified by Global Animal Partnership (GAP) and require all chickens to be processed in a manner that avoids live-dumping and live-shackling, and instead utilizes a pre-shackle, multi-step controlled-atmosphere processing system that’s widely hailed as more humane.

“At Whitsons we take our role as a responsible corporate citizen in the food supply chain very seriously,’ continued Whitcomb.  ‘We work diligently with our suppliers to ensure the humane treatment of animals in our journey towards a more transparent and natural food experience for all of our customers. It’s just the right thing to do.”

About Whitsons Culinary Group

Whitsons Culinary Group provides a wide range of highly customized dining services to public schools, corporate, and healthcare dining, throughout the Northeast, with a strong focus on nutritious, high quality meals made from wholesome, fresh ingredients. Whitsons has a long and proud history of excellence and growth since 1979 and is setting new standards for the foodservice industry with wholesome foods and family values.

For more information, please visit www.whitsons.com or find us on Facebook or Twitter. 

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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fec654e0-5999-48b9-9d0a-e2135b7e0f60

Jessica Diaz
Whitsons Culinary Group
63180582634
[email protected]