Ben & Jerry's USA

"Farm Animal Welfare has been one of Unilever's core sustainable agriculture indicators since 2005.We recognize that many consumers do have concerns about animal welfare and we take these concerns seriously. We have several ongoing initiatives which include free-range eggs in Hellmann's mayonnaise and the Ben & Jerry's Caring Dairy programme that sources milk for our ice cream. We implement our sustainable sourcing plan over a number of years in order to allow our suppliers to adapt to our animal welfare requirements.

As Global Issue Leader Animal Welfare I have ensured that we work on the basis of a global corporate policy for farm animal welfare. I have initiated the roll-out for eggs and dairy ingredients into other regions and have started the work on meat sourcing. Animal Welfare is included in the Unilever Sustainable Agriculture Code. This code covers practices that all our suppliers should strive to achieve. We encourage our suppliers to participate in initiatives to improve animal welfare standards in the countries and/or regions where they are sourcing and processing products from animal origin. Consumers recognize our work on sustainable sourcing and the response on our animal welfare initiatives has been positive. Our ambition is to purchase all our animal-derived ingredients from sustainable sources, taking into account the different regional perceptions and adequate supply.

Working together with our suppliers and organizations like Compassion in World Farming will help us to deliver the results we aim for. Happy cows and happy chickens are part of our future!"

Willem-Jan Laan, Director Global External Affairs - Unilever