The holiday season is once again upon us, and that often brings with it a flurry of festive events to attend – or plan! If you’re like the many Australians wanting to navigate work events with animal welfare in mind but aren’t sure where to begin, read on for ways to include higher-welfare options when catering your next event.
Look for RSPCA Approved
If you’re planning to include ham, turkey, chicken, or salmon on your Christmas party menu, choosing products with RSPCA Approved certification is an easy way to make sure you’re sourcing from farmers who are dedicated to meeting the RSPCA’s higher welfare standards – standards that go well beyond what’s legally required. Animals on farms with the RSPCA Approved certification are provided with more space to move freely and engage with their surroundings, provisions such as quality litter and comfortable bedding, and animal-specific enrichments designed to exercise their minds and bodies. And it’s a certification that you can trust, with these standards – hundreds of requirements for each species we work with – regularly assessed through our robust certification process. RSPCA Approved products are available at major supermarkets – so if you’re heading to Coles or Woolworths and in search of higher welfare food, look no further than our handy guide …
Of course, these are just some of the RSPCA Approved products available. In fact, there are currently over 1000 products with RSPCA Approved certification in major retailers across Australia. If your favourite product or brand is not currently RSPCA Approved, our Responsible Sourcing Guides are a helpful reference in identifying if a product or brand has sourced animal ingredients responsibly (and while you’re at it, why not get in touch with the brand and encourage them to think about becoming RSPCA Approved and sourcing from producers who meet our higher welfare standards!?).
Choose your eggs wisely
Workplace Christmas parties come in all shapes and sizes, and many can include festive home-baked treats. If you’re baking some home-made offerings using eggs, make sure to choose cage-free alternatives such as RSPCA Approved, barn-laid or free-range eggs. Opting for cage-free eggs is a good way to support better welfare for layer hens, as they’re readily available in supermarkets nationally. We understand egg labelling can sometimes be confusing, so read our egg labelling blog as a helpful guide.
Also, don’t forget about sneaky eggs! Cage eggs can often make their way into the ingredients of prepackaged baking mixes, condiments, and other products so be sure the check the labelling to see if they reference cage-free eggs. To see which brands are working towards or are already using cage-free eggs, visit our Cage Free and Proud webpage.
A welfare-friendly Christmas for all
However your workplace is celebrating this year, if ham, turkey, salmon, chicken, eggs or any product from animals is on the menu, make sure you’re choosing higher welfare. By looking for the RSPCA Approved certification, you’re supporting farmers dedicated to providing a better quality of life for their animals with higher welfare farming practices, which leads to more animals benefitting from better conditions on farm and a better quality of life.
Interested in reading more?
Pork Labelling
What is Responsible Sourcing?
