Wendy’s only serves pork that is 100% Pork Quality Assurance Plus Certified. By working with certified suppliers and farmers, we ensure our partners have committed to an intensive traceability protocol, supporting our goals to track, trace, monitor and report on animal medical treatment histories. 

About the program: 

• Pork Quality Assurance Plus relies on experts in agriculture and veterinary medicine to fulfill its mission. Farmer training and on-farm assessments are performed by certified Pork Quality Assurance Plus Advisors.

• Since its inception in 1989, the program has expanded to include detailed animal care components as well as environmental protection and worker safety.

In 2012, Wendy’s announced a 10-year goal to transition our supply chain for pork (bacon and sausage used by Wendy’s restaurants in North America) away from individual sow gestation stalls (an individual enclosure) in favor of open pen/group housing for confirmed pregnant sows. At the end of 2022, we met this goal and completed this transition in our supply chain.

Wendy’s pork supplier partners have taken steps to protect the efficacy of antibiotics deemed important to humans. By abiding by and following the Pork Quality Assurance Plus program, they’ve all agreed to the following steps:

• Take appropriate steps to decrease the need for the application of antibiotics

• Assess the advantages and disadvantages of all antibiotic use

• Use antibiotics only when they will provide measurable benefits

• Fully implement practices for responsible use of animal-health products into daily operations

• Maintain a working veterinary/client/patient relationship

To further enhance the steps taken as part of the Pork Quality Assurance Plus program and in keeping with our 2030 goal to eliminate the routine use of medically important antibiotics, we are working with progressive suppliers to map, monitor and report on animal medical treatment histories through the Wendy’s Animal Care Standards Program.