Switzerland’s two largest supermarket chains achieve the highest rating in a benchmark for farm animal welfare, while food giant Nestlé moves up a category.
This content was published on
2 minutes
I cover food and agribusiness and have a special interest in sustainable supply chains, food safety and quality, as well emerging players and trends in the food industry.
A background in forestry and conservation biology led me down the path of environmental advocacy. Journalism and Switzerland made me a neutral observer who holds companies accountable for their actions.
Three Swiss companies made an appearance in the 2019 edition of Business Benchmark on Farm Animal WelfareExternal link, which was released on Thursday. Food companies are assessed against 37 criteria, including overcrowding, humane slaughter and the use of growth promoters, as well as reporting, transparency and awareness raising. Based on their performance, firms are placed in six tiers, with tier 1 rated as the best and tier 6 the worst.
Switzerland’s Coop group maintained its place in the first tier (Leadership) for the seventh year in a row. Rival Migros regained its tier 1 status after losing it last year. Only four other firms out of the 150 assessed managed the same feat: British companies Marks&Spencer, Waitrose, Noble Foods and Cranswick.
Migros was praised for the introduction of a labelling scheme that lets customers know if their purchase has a positive impact on animal welfare. The company attributes its promotion from tier 2 last year to tier 1 this year to commitments it has made to improve animal welfare standards in its products.
“We established various projects with defined goals and timelines – for example, our project to introduce only free-range eggs in Migros supermarkets by the end of 2020 or to stock only imported poultry produced to Swiss animal welfare standards,” a Migros spokesperson told swissinfo.ch.
Swiss food multinational Nestlé was promoted to tier 2 (Integral to business strategy) after spending six years stuck in tier 3 status.
“This recognizes our efforts to improve transparency and reporting on our progress. We will continue to work with others in the food industry to make further improvements,” said Magdi Batato, Nestlé’s Global Head of Operations.
Some of the commitments made by the company include sourcing only cage-free eggs by the end of 2025 (end of 2020 for products sold in Europe and the United States) and improving the welfare of broiler chickens in its supply chain by 2026 in the US and Europe.
More
More
How well are Swiss animals protected?
This content was published on
Strict welfare legislation makes Switzerland one of the better places to have fur, fins or feathers. Here’s why.
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Switzerland is Europe’s most innovative country, EU study finds
This content was published on
In the European Commission's annual ranking, the Swiss score dropped slightly in 2025, but not enough to cost it top spot.
Women’s Euro 2025 has been largely peaceful so far
This content was published on
After two weeks of football fever in various Swiss host cities, no major incidents have been reported so far, police say.
Planned solar park at Bern airport scaled back after talks
This content was published on
The ground-mounted plant at Belpmoos Airport will be smaller than originally planned, the parties involved said on Tuesday.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss government gives animal welfare a boost
This content was published on
The government wants enshrine animal dignity in the Swiss constitution, but it has come out against a more detailed initiative by rights groups.
Animal welfare rules not fully respected in some Swiss abattoirs
This content was published on
Conditions in some Swiss slaughterhouses still don’t conform to standards guaranteeing animal welfare, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office announced on Tuesday.
This content was published on
Campaigners have submitted the necessary signatures for an initiative aimed at outlawing intensive livestock production in Switzerland.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.