DUBLIN, Ohio — The Wendy’s Company has unveiled strategies to better understand and communicate how cattle for Wendy’s fresh-beef hamburgers are raised as part of its annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) update.
Wendy’s has become the first restaurant chain to partner with the Progressive Beef program — an innovative animal-care and sustainability program that is built on industry-leading best practices and third-party verification. Adoption of this program will be implemented in a significant part of the company’s beef supply starting in 2019, reaching at least 50 per cent by 2021. The partnership delivers on Wendy’s commitment to enhanced beef supply-chain accountability, transparency and traceability.
The Progressive-Beef program focuses on cattle care, food safety and antibiotic use and environmental sustainability.
Beyond finalizing the new partnership with Progressive Beef, Wendy’s has made progress on existing commitments related to its beef supply chain. In 2018, the company fulfilled its commitment to source 100 per cent of its beef from Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certified sources — hitting this milestone a year ahead of schedule. It also sourced nearly 20 per cent of its beef from producers who have each tracked and reduced their use of medically important antibiotics.
Wendy’s also recently announced an initiative to source vine-ripened tomatoes for its North-American restaurants exclusively from greenhouse farms by early 2019. Most of these tomatoes will come from the U.S. and Canada, from sources that match its North-American restaurant footprint. The initiative is designed to provide safe, indoor working conditions; shelter from the elements and environmental contaminants; reduced water and land-use burdens; and a significantly reduced need for chemical pesticides.
