Saying Yes to continuing to care for the planet is also saying Yes to protecting Animal Welfare. Therefore, at Mercadona we work with our suppliers to guarantee the safety and well-being of farm animals, with more efficient and sustainable models.

How do we guarantee protection of Animal Welfare?

With the objective of animal production complying with the requirements defined by each one of the accepted standards for Animal Welfare, at Mercadona we request the Animal Welfare certification from all links of the Assembly Line of products of animal origin, such as meat, eggs and milk.

In this way, we ensure that livestock farms, transport and abattoirs comply with the 'five fundamental freedoms' of animal rights:

• Freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition: animals have to have access to water and a diet suited to their needs.
• Freedom from physical or thermal stress: living in an environment prepared for all weather conditions and with a comfortable rest area.
• Freedom from fear and distress: guaranteeing the necessary conditions to avoid mental suffering.
• Freedom to express normal behaviour patterns: having the necessary space, suitable installations and the company of other individuals of their species.
• Freedom from pain, injuries and diseases: adequate prevention and/or rapid diagnosis and treatment.

Five fundamental freedoms of animal rights.

What Animal Welfare certifications do we currently have validated?

There are various certifications that take into account different essential parameters for guaranteeing Animal Welfare, compliance with which is subject to an annual external audit.

We currently have 7 different Animal Welfare certifications, as shown below:

Validated Animal Welfare certifications at Mercadona.

At Mercadona we carry out a rigorous study of each certification and validate them based on our own technical parameters and Animal Welfare criteria, always seeking continuous improvement.