For Casino Group and its branches, animal welfare is a key issue to live up to its ambition of enabling better and more responsible consumption.
Being able to consume products which are more respectful of animal welfare from the beginning until the end of their lives is a strong request from many consumers. And for that reason, they need to take part in improving cattle-breeding practices, transport and slaughtering. Animal welfare takes into consideration the health, the physical and mental state of an animal, the satisfaction of its physiological needs and expectations as well as the possibility of expressing its natural behaviour. The respect of these different criteria must be present throughout the life of the animal: from its birth until its death, through its breeding and transport. The term « animal protection » is often preferred to talk about animal welfare at the time of slaughtering.
CASINO GROUP’S COMMITMENTS IN FAVOUR OF ANIMAL WELFARE
The Group makes a commitment in favour of animal welfare as regards supply chains and offers in stores. Teams are made aware of this issue and work daily towards becoming more demanding to guarantee better animal welfare.
Regular control of the cattle-breeding and slaughtering conditions
Since 2015, the Group has implemented a control plan for slaughter houses providing the Group in France for its own labels (raw meats for bulk beef, pork and lamb branches). These controls rely on an audit reference matrix on animal protection in slaughter houses, which is specific to each animal branch. These audits are also carried out regularly regarding cattle-breeding for Casino subsidiaries, to check the correct implementation of the requirement specifications as defined by subsidiaries. These audits also integrate items relating to animal welfare.
Getting committed transversally about animal welfare
Casino is respectful of European regulations: cloning, genetic or growth-enhancing modifications on all animal-sector products in France are not tolerated.
Developing the product offer with best standards in favour of animal welfare and the offer from organic farming
Beyond commitments in the upper chain, Casino Group is also committed with its customers by offering a variety of meat and dairy products more respectful of animal welfare. This offer relies on strict requirement specifications (Label Rouge, Bio).
Supporting the implementation of labelling for animal welfare on products
Casino Group has co-created a labelling system dedicated to animal welfare, in partnership with 3 NGOs for animal protection. Affixed on products, these labels enable consumers to choose products which are more respectful of animal welfare. The ambition of this labelling is to be extended to a maximum of products, in as many stores as possible in France.
OUR COMMITMENTS WITH ALL SECTORS
Improving standards of animal welfare in the chicken sector
The Group is committed to improving breeding and slaughtering conditions of broilers, both by implementing labelling informing consumers on the level of animal wellbeing for the chickens sold in store but also by supporting the Better Chicken Commitment initiative especially in branches like Monoprix and Casino.
Supporting the breeding of laying hens outside of cages
The objective of Casino Group is to support breeding outside of cages for laying hens. Since 2020, there are no more eggs from laying hens bred in cages sold in our stores in France.
Promoting the sale of milk from cows with access to pastures between 3 and 6 months a year
The Group supports access to pastures for dairy cows, between 3 to 6 months a year, by increasing the product offer or by committing to only selling milk in its own brand guaranteeing this, as Monoprix and Franprix have already done it.
Improving living conditions for rabbits
As it has already done it for laying hens, Monoprix is committed to progressively stopping animal breeding in cages.
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Learn more about our policy in favour of animal sectors
In 2020, 100% of eggs in own brands and national brands sold in our stores in France will come from laying hens bred outside of cages. By 2025, all own-brand products will be made with eggs from laying hens bred outside cages.
As from 2013, Monoprix has been committed towards laying hens by selling only eggs from hens bred in open air for its own brands. In 2016, this commitment was extended to national brands for eggs from hens bred outside cages.
In 2017, Casino and Franprix followed in its footsteps by committing to stop selling eggs from laying hens in cages as from 2020, for its own brands and national brands.
This commitment was extended to egg products (which means eggs added in products as an ingredient): by 2025, own-label products of the Group’s brands in France will only be made from eggs from laying hens bred outside cages. For Franprix and Monoprix Gourmet, this commitment will come in effect by the end of 2022.
In 2018, the Casino brand implemented the first labelling in France as regards the level of animal welfare of broilers in partnership with 3 NGOs in animal protection. This labelling enables consumers to understand the level of respect for animal welfare during its life via information placed on the label weight/price of the product. The objective of the Group is to extend this labelling to a maximum of products in store and to eventually increase the amount of products branded A, B or C in store.
For its part, Monoprix has taken many commitments in favour of animal welfare for broilers. Since October 2018, Monoprix has been only selling chickens of medium-growth or slow-growth stock on all its own labels. Moreover, all chickens sold in rotisserie come from organic farming.
In June 2019, Monoprix was the first French brand to commit to respecting all the criteria of the Better Chicken Commitment by 2026, for all its raw and transformed products (containing more than 50% chicken) in own labels. The Better Chicken Commitment aims at significantly improving breeding and slaughtering conditions of all broilers (decrease in density, slower-growth stock, environment enrichment with for example perches, natural light in breeding buildings, respectful slaughtering methods, …).
Casino brands committed in November 2019 to achieving by 2026 100% of chicken sold under distributor’s brands and labelled “C-Quite good” or over on animal welfare labelling, implemented by Casino Group and 3 NGOs of animal protection– LFDA, CIWF and OABA*.
In line with this commitment, Casino signed with the CIWF, the Better Chicken Commitment – along with around thirty European NGOs for animal protection in order to improve breeding and slaughtering standards in the broiler sector.
With this signature, Casino brands are committed to respecting the criteria of the Better Chicken Commitment for all raw and transformed products (containing more than 50% chicken) in Casino distributor’s brand *** by 2026 or later.
In February 2020, the Franprix brand is also committed to implementing animal welfare labelling on all raw broiler references in Franprix distributor’s brand, and to making sure that 100% of references reach at least a minimum of “C – Quite Good” level, by 2026.
On this occasion, the Franprix brand has also become a signatory of the Better Chicken Commitment. It also takes the commitment that by the end of 2026 or later, all its broiler products, raw and transformed, (containing over 50% of chicken) in Franprix** distributor’s brand will respect the criteria of the Better Chicken Commitment.
Moreover, our 3 brands are committed towards making sure that 20 % of volumes in own brands involved in the Better Chicken Commitment, come from breeding which guarantees animals access to the open air or a winter garden by 2026.
*of raw broilers in Casino distributor’s brands
**Scope of application: this commitment is only applicable to products in the Franprix distributor’s brand
***This commitment is applicable to all Casino France distributor’s brands: Casino, Terre et Saveurs, Casino Bio, Casino Délices, Tous les jours and does not include national brands.
As soon as 2014, Monoprix has been committed towards dairy cows by defining demanding requirement specifications regarding animal welfare (access to pastures for all cows in summer, cows moving freely in stables, key indicator tracking).
Since November 2017, Monoprix has been only selling milk respecting requirement specifications from “C’est qui le patron?!” (“Who’s the boss?! ») for all of its own brands. Cows have access to pastures between 4 to 6 months a year. They are not tied and indicators of the cows’ wellbeing are tracked. This represents nearly 10 million litres sold each year.
With its brands “Lait des éleveurs des Monts du Forez“ (milk from breeders in Monts du Forez), Casino brand supports more respectful breeding conditions for dairy cows, by guaranteeing pastures in grasslands for at least 6 months a year.
In 2019, Franprix committed to selling in its own brands only milk from dairy cows with access to pastures (at least 150 days a year) as from the end of 2020. It is also forbidden to keep them tied and key indicators of animal welfare are used in all breeding.
Brands such as Casino Bio, Monoprix Bio, Franprix Bio and Leader Price also guarantee access to permanent pastures as long as the weather permits this.
Casino Group will keep working with providers to encourage access to pastures for dairy cows whenever it is possible.
In 2017, Monoprix committed to buying only rabbits bred in parks by 2022, in order not to encourage other production systems (in cages for example).
This commitment guarantees more living space, more comfortable ground and an enriched environment for rabbit, in order to enable animals to express their natural behaviours according to their species.