Charlotte, NC (August 22, 2016) – Compassion in World Farming has presented Compass Group USA with a Good Egg Award for its cage-free egg policies. In order to qualify for this prestigious award, companies must either currently source 100% cage-free eggs, or have committed to achieving this within a five year time frame. Today, Compass serves only cage-free shell eggs that adhere to Humane Animal Care standards, a third-party auditing organization.

Compass Group USA implemented its cage-free shell egg policy in 2007 which has since improved the welfare of hundreds of thousands of farm animals; removing hens from battery cages and putting them into cage-free settings. Compass has purchased almost 300,000,000 cage-free shell eggs since 2008.

On March 16, 2015, Compass announced a major policy expansion to the already existing cage-free shell egg policy to include the purchase of liquid eggs from cage-free sources by the end of 2019.

“Compassion in World Farming is so pleased to have recognized Compass Group USA with a Good Egg Award this year. Compass Group has been a leader in the cage-free movement and has successfully harnessed their buying power to help propel the laying hen industry toward higher-welfare systems. We whole heartedly congratulate and commend Compass Group, whose policy is set to benefit over 1.4 million laying hens, “said Rachel Dreskin, Compassion in World Farming US Head of Food Business.

“We have been working for many years with our suppliers and animal welfare partners to be able to make these important commitments that are changing the way we treat farm animals in our food systems,” Gary Snyder, Chief People Officer, Compass Group North America “We are truly honored to be recognized by Compassion in World Farming.”

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About Compassion in World Farming
Compassion in World Farming is recognized as the leading international farm animal welfare charity. It was founded in 1967 by Peter Roberts, a British dairy farmer, who became concerned about the development of intensive factory farming. Compassion in World Farming’s Food Business team engages with the world’s leading food companies, inspiring progress through prestigious awards and supporting products and initiatives which represent tangible benefits for farm animals. To find out more about the work of the Food Business team, visit www.compassioninfoodbusiness.com.

About Compass Group North America
Based in Charlotte NC, Compass Group North America is the leading foodservice management and support services company with $14.5 billion (£9.4 billion) in revenues in 2015. Compass Group USA was recently named one of America’s 500 Best Employers by Forbes, ranking as the highest contract food and business support services company. With over 500,000 associates worldwide, its parent company, UK-based Compass Group PLC, was named the 6th largest publicly traded employer in the world by USA Today and had revenues of £17.8 billion in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015.