We are committed to continuously improving how we source our ingredients and demonstrating accountability for ethical business practices, sustainability and social responsibility.
Building on our long-standing ingredient sourcing programs and practices, we are formalizing our approach through our responsible sourcing goal: Wendy’s is committed to responsibly sourcing our top 10 priority food categories by 2030 in the U.S. and Canada.
Since announcing our goal, we have focused on setting the expectations of the goal, including identifying in-scope suppliers1, establishing the specific criteria we will use to measure progress in each priority food category and engaging third parties to better enable us to gather and review relevant information. Another critical component of our work has been enlisting a technology partner to conduct individual sustainability performance assessments of our in-scope suppliers. This is one method we use to demonstrate accountability and advancement toward our responsible sourcing goal and better understand supplier performance on key metrics. We share our responsible sourcing progress annually within our Corporate Responsibility report.
“Establishing our responsible sourcing goal has been a critical priority for us, as our most important impact and asset is our food. We want to ensure a responsible and transparent supply chain, particularly for our top 10 priority food categories, and continue to build on our long-standing sourcing practices and programs.”
Chief Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Officer
Animal care considerations have been a core element of Wendy’s quality assurance and supply chain practices for decades and many of the requirements we’ve developed for our suppliers have set the standard for the quick-service restaurant industry. Two aspects that set our work apart are our longstanding relationships with progressive industry experts, many of whom serve on the Wendy’s Animal Welfare Council, and our audit-based approach to animal welfare. We are enhancing these relationships and auditing practices even further by bringing in new experts and leveraging the council to revamp the standards we apply to ourselves and our suppliers.
Through our responsible sourcing efforts, we continue to advance progress in the following areas.
Wendy’s is proud to serve fresh, never frozen, North American beef in restaurants in the contiguous U.S., Alaska and Canada. In addition to advancing our commitments in key areas, we’ve also been working with industry experts, including the Wendy’s Animal Welfare Council, on the Wendy’s Animal Care Standards Program. Notably, as part of being a member of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, Wendy’s has aligned with its retail sector targets for air and GHG emissions, conservation of natural resources and more.
Wendy’s works to provide responsibly sourced refreshments. For example, the coffee served in Wendy’s U.S. and Canadian restaurants is sourced from certified-sustainable suppliers, which meet comprehensive standards for environmental stewardship and improved farmer livelihoods at the time of delivery to Wendy’s.
Wendy’s works to responsibly source key ingredients, such as palm oil, for our buns and bakery items, as well as in other products. Globally, Wendy’s is not a large user of palm oil, but we recognize the importance of the issue and are committed to using responsible and sustainable sources for the palm oil we do use. In the U.S. and Canada, palm oil is an ingredient in a few products like cookies and oatmeal bars. In some other countries in Latin America and Asia, restaurants use palm oil as a cooking oil and as an ingredient in certain products. Wendy’s joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2015, and we report our progress annually through the RSPO’s Annual Communication of Progress. We also share our progress through the World Wildlife Fund Buyers Scorecard. The palm oil sourced for Wendy’s U.S. and Canadian restaurants, as well as certain international markets, contributes to the production of sustainable palm oil. Wendy’s encourages physical segregation in our supply chain where possible and we purchase Palm Trace credits to offset any remaining impact.
Wendy’s sources chicken (filets for chicken sandwiches and white meat chicken included in nuggets) from suppliers who meet or exceed our standards for quality, food safety and animal welfare.
Dairy is a key ingredient in the Wendy’s Frosty®, cheese for sandwiches and salads and more, and milk is also offered as a beverage. Through the Wendy’s Animal Care Standards Program, we will continue to drive animal care and environmental advancements.
We only use fresh-cracked, Grade-A eggs on our breakfast sandwiches. All our egg suppliers are required to have independent, third-party audits conducted annually by PAACO-certified auditors. Before a supplier can be approved for the Wendy’s system, they must undergo and pass a Wendy’s Animal Welfare audit as well as a third-party audit. We’ll continue to work closely with our suppliers and industry experts as part of our responsible sourcing goal and through the Wendy’s Animal Care Standards Program.
Fresh produce and potatoes are a hallmark of our menu, and we are pushing the envelope to find new and innovative ways to bring freshness and peak quality and flavor to every menu item, like our investment in greenhouse-grown tomatoes as part of our Fresh Produce Initiative.
Wendy’s only sources pork that is 100% Pork Quality Assurance® Plus (PQA Plus) Certified or the equivalent for our sausage and bacon. In 2022, we achieved our 10-year goal to transition our pork supply chain in the U.S. and Canada away from sow gestation stalls in favor of open pen or group housing for confirmed pregnant sows. We also work closely with the pork industry and our progressive suppliers via the Wendy’s Animal Care Standards Program on topics like antibiotic reduction.
Wendy’s is proud to serve fresh, never frozen, North American beef in restaurants in the contiguous U.S., Alaska and Canada. In addition to advancing our commitments in key areas, we’ve also been working with industry experts, including the Wendy’s Animal Welfare Council, on the Wendy’s Animal Care Standards Program. Notably, as part of being a member of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, Wendy’s has aligned with its retail sector targets for air and GHG emissions, conservation of natural resources and more.
Wendy’s works to provide responsibly sourced refreshments. For example, the coffee served in Wendy’s U.S. and Canadian restaurants is sourced from certified-sustainable suppliers, which meet comprehensive standards for environmental stewardship and improved farmer livelihoods at the time of delivery to Wendy’s.
Wendy’s works to responsibly source key ingredients, such as palm oil, for our buns and bakery items, as well as in other products. Globally, Wendy’s is not a large user of palm oil, but we recognize the importance of the issue and are committed to using responsible and sustainable sources for the palm oil we do use. In the U.S. and Canada, palm oil is an ingredient in a few products like cookies and oatmeal bars. In some other countries in Latin America and Asia, restaurants use palm oil as a cooking oil and as an ingredient in certain products. Wendy’s joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2015, and we report our progress annually through the RSPO’s Annual Communication of Progress. We also share our progress through the World Wildlife Fund Buyers Scorecard. The palm oil sourced for Wendy’s U.S. and Canadian restaurants, as well as certain international markets, contributes to the production of sustainable palm oil. Wendy’s encourages physical segregation in our supply chain where possible and we purchase Palm Trace credits to offset any remaining impact.
Wendy’s sources chicken (filets for chicken sandwiches and white meat chicken included in nuggets) from suppliers who meet or exceed our standards for quality, food safety and animal welfare.
Dairy is a key ingredient in the Wendy’s Frosty®, cheese for sandwiches and salads and more, and milk is also offered as a beverage. Through the Wendy’s Animal Care Standards Program, we will continue to drive animal care and environmental advancements.
We only use fresh-cracked, Grade-A eggs on our breakfast sandwiches. All our egg suppliers are required to have independent, third-party audits conducted annually by PAACO-certified auditors. Before a supplier can be approved for the Wendy’s system, they must undergo and pass a Wendy’s Animal Welfare audit as well as a third-party audit. We’ll continue to work closely with our suppliers and industry experts as part of our responsible sourcing goal and through the Wendy’s Animal Care Standards Program.
Fresh produce and potatoes are a hallmark of our menu, and we are pushing the envelope to find new and innovative ways to bring freshness and peak quality and flavor to every menu item, like our investment in greenhouse-grown tomatoes as part of our Fresh Produce Initiative.
Wendy’s only sources pork that is 100% Pork Quality Assurance® Plus (PQA Plus) Certified or the equivalent for our sausage and bacon. In 2022, we achieved our 10-year goal to transition our pork supply chain in the U.S. and Canada away from sow gestation stalls in favor of open pen or group housing for confirmed pregnant sows. We also work closely with the pork industry and our progressive suppliers via the Wendy’s Animal Care Standards Program on topics like antibiotic reduction.