Animal welfare advocates are monitoring production not only from the farm to the fork but also from the farm to the drive through.
In Tim Hortons’ case, the stakes are large.
The company is under pressure from its customers and investors. And when one of its suppliers falls under criticism, there’s a lot of money on the line.
“For a big brand like Tim Hortons, reputation risk is huge,” said Tim Faveri, the company’s director of sustainability and responsibility.
“It trumps all other risks, almost. If this will do damage to our brand, we’ve really got to evaluate and look at it.”
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Likewise, when a company such as Tim Hortons makes a change, it can send waves through its production chain, all the way to producers.
“On their side, they can’t demand more than what we’re reasonably able to provide,” said Neil Ketilson of Sask Pork.
Faveri told a recent Farm Animal Council of Saskatchewan conference in Saskatoon that the coffee juggernaut began updating its animal-welfare policy when it fell under the watchful eye of the Humane Society of the United States after the opening of several restaurants in New York City.
Today, the animal rights group is among Tim Hortons’ shareholders, and the company is being pushed to integrate cage-free eggs and gestation crate free pork into its supply chain.
Faveri said Tim Hortons has begun consulting with its stakeholders, including producers, as it seeks a balance between meeting demands for animal welfare and transparency, keeping its product affordable and attractive and ensuring its supply chain is sustainable in the long term.
“We don’t want to make a move that’s not in step with our industry partners,” Tim Hortons’ Julie Ashmore told the audience. “And we don’t want to make a move that hasn’t really been scientifically proven.”
The company was applauded by many in the audience for seeking input from producers.
“We’ve developed a lot of these things ourselves and quite frankly we think it’s very important for the industry to be involved in that rather than have someone else write the rules and then we have to either live with them or argue as to how they need to change to suit the industry’s needs,” said Ketilson.
He said producers and processors have a right to be compensated as they deliver systems that demonstrate and document their production practices.
