Unilever to improve animal welfare in its supply chain
Unilever has joined the growing list of major companies to propose improving animal welfare in the food supply chain.
The world's third largest consumer goods producer has launched a major drive to eliminate the mass culling of day old male chicks by its egg suppliers.
Unilever, which buys more than 350 million eggs each year in the United States alone for brands including Best Foods and Hellmann's, Ben & Jerry's and Slim-Fast, is the first major egg user to take a strong stand against the practice.
The male chicks are culled because they are considered of little value to the layer industry.
The company's announcement is the latest in a series of animal welfare policies that recently included the announcement by Nestlé of a new code of animal welfare practices for its supply chain.
In its new welfare policy, Unilever has pledged to work with egg industry leaders and the animal welfare community, and devote R&D resources to developing and implementing alternatives to the current industry practice.
The company is looking into the in ovo gender identification (sexing) of eggs, a new technology that has the potential to eliminate the hatching and culling of male chicks in the poultry-breeding industry.
