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Rabbit Advocacy Animal Matters
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Super Bowl and farm animal care January 28, 2014 Newstream Farm Animal Care, Volume 2, Edition 2 (industry fighting) Seahawks and Broncos won't be the only animals getting attention under the intense media and marketing glare around the upcoming National Football League Super Bowl in New Jersey. Super Bowl commercials rival the game itself for attention and this year's collection includes a spot from Chipotle Mexican Grill that takes shots at 'industrial farming,' including on the issue of farm animal care, in a manner sure to rile many in animal agriculture. Blatant marketing tactic Many in the North American food industry, particularly on this side of the border, believe farm animal care should be a non-competitive issue best addressed through cooperative efforts involving the full supply chain. However, Chipotle, the fast growing U.S.-based restaurant chain, has been among the most direct and high profile of major food industry brands to veer from that stance and blatantly use the issue as a marketing tactic. The Super Bowl spots, launching a series billed "Farmed and Dangerous" have been described as a satirical approach using animation and designed to strike emotional chords. The potential coverage is nothing to sniff at, with over 100 million American expected to be watching. 'Food with integrity' battle heating up It's interesting that while one of the highest profile agriculture industry backed efforts on the sustainability front is the Center for Food Integrity, the Chipotle chain has adopted "Food with Integrity" as its slogan. No doubt the marketing battle is just getting started. Read more about how Chipotle Mexican Grill is positioning itself on animal welfare and related issues. If you thought the A&W action was aggressive, it's clear there's a whole other level being reached south of the border. The A&W fallout: What does it mean for welfare? From October 17, 2013 Newstream Farm Animal Care Volume 1, Edition 19 The reaction to the A&W "no hormones, no steroids" campaign has been interesting to watch. It stands as an example of what happens when food companies attempt to incorporate a specific aspect of livestock production management into their brand image. And while the specific practices targeted here are not directly animal welfare related, this ongoing case study surely contains some valuable lessons for the welfare issue. One message often repeated by many farm animal care stakeholders, including retailers and food companies, is that welfare should be a non-competitive issue. It's about working together to improve transparency and find collective approaches for continual improvement. Not about gaining a competitive advantage or directly pitting one type of production against another. It bodes well for the farm animal care issue that food industry giants such as McDonald's Corporation have bought into this concept. This advantage will no doubt be critical to maintain for future cooperation and collective progress. Be sure to visit all our other pages! |