In 2001, Wendy’s established our industry-leading Animal Welfare Council. We believed then, as we do today, that we have a responsibility to support proper care for the animals that are an essential part of our supply chain. This Council provides a cross functional forum to shape our policies and advance the cause of proper animal care and welfare. The ideals and standards of the council – and the Wendy’s Animal Welfare Program – were developed with support and partnership from animal care pioneer and professor of animal science at Colorado State University, Dr. Temple Grandin.
In 2018, we expanded our Council to bring more outside experts to the table and ensure we would benefit from a diversity of viewpoints. The focus and commitment of Wendy’s Animal Welfare Council remains the same: to regularly review and strengthen our animal welfare standards while continually evaluating the performance of suppliers to ensure full compliance.
Our objectives are to:
- Do the right thing for animals
- Be diversified in our membership, learn from experts, and act accordingly
- Be transparent in all we do and provide a rational basis for our decisions
- Be thoughtful, yet progressive in our approach
As part of the Animal Welfare Council evolution, we’ve invited a variety of experts from academia, animal agriculture, veterinary medicine and animal care to provide a diversity of perspectives. This helps us stay on the forefront of progressive animal care standards.
To optimize the expertise of our members, Wendy’s collaborates in the following ways:
- Regularly meet to review our all-species welfare programs
- Identify emerging issues and opportunities to discuss and form opinions
- Establish an open forum through frequent email and phone consultation to ensure real-time counsel on specific welfare topics
- Seek additional consultation as we create or update our welfare programs
Wendy’s provides progress reports as it relates to animal welfare. Note that members are not compensated by Wendy’s and participate on a volunteer basis.
We’d like to recognize and thank the members of our Animal Welfare Council:
- John Butler, CEO, Beef Marketing Group
- Dr. Karen Christensen, Sr. Director, Animal Wellbeing, Tyson Foods
- Dr. Kelly George, Assistant Professor, Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University
- Pat Hord, President, Hord Family Farms
- Collette Kaster, Executive Director, Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization
- Dr. Steve Moeller, Professor of Animal Science and Swine Extension Specialist, The Ohio State University
- Dr. Katy Proudfoot, Assistant Professor, Animal Welfare & Behavior, The Ohio State University
- Suzi Rapp, VP of Animal Programs, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
- Dr. Bruce Stewart-Brown, SVP, Food Safety, Quality, Live Production, Perdue Farms