Greenpeace Urges Supermarkets to Speed Up Transition in Meat Production

Greenpeace is calling on supermarkets to accelerate the transition to higher animal welfare standards in meat production. The organization is urging supermarkets to ban cheap meat from stage 1 and to align their private labeling system with a future state-mandated animal welfare labeling system, which will have five stages.

By 2025, fresh pork is expected to be mandatory under the new system. Greenpeace has conducted an assessment of supermarket labeling and found that 82.5% of meat comes from stages 1 and 2, with 11.5% still in stage 1. The organization considers stages 1 and 2 to be inhumane and is advocating for a complete transition to higher stages by 2025, with interim goals in place.

While poultry products no longer come from stage 1, 0.9% of fresh pork still does. Greenpeace has commended some progress made by supermarkets in sourcing meat from higher welfare standards but notes that 60.5% of beef is still in stage 1. Supermarkets have committed to completely eliminating stage 1 meat by 2025. The voluntary labeling system implemented by supermarkets will eventually align with the state-mandated system of five stages.

Greenpeace is pressuring supermarkets to swiftly phase out cheap meat and meet their interim goals for transitioning to higher animal welfare standards.