As a responsible grocery retailer, ALDI CHINA is
committed to the well-being of the animals in our supply
chain. We believe that proper animal care practices are
based on both science and ethical obligations and values.
This belief stems from our responsibility towards our
customers and the environment as stated in our Corporate
Responsibility Principles. ALDI CHINA does not raise animals
nor do we own or operate processing facilities, but we are
committed to responsibly sourcing our food and non-food
private label products within the following product
groups:
Food products
· Meat and poultry products
· Shell eggs
· Milk and dairy products
· Fish and seafood products
Non-food products
· Textiles and bedding
· Health and beauty products, cleaners, detergents
In line with ALDI SOUTH’s international position statement
on animal welfare which defines the company-wide key areas
of action, ALDI CHINA aspires to source products from
animals that are treated according to Animal Welfare Guiding
Principles. We seek to work with suppliers who share this
commitment. We will not tolerate animal abuse or neglect in
our supply chain.
Animal Welfare Guiding Principles
We support the principles of good animal welfare guided by
the globally recognised 'Five Freedoms' proposed by
the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC):
1. Freedom from hunger and thirst - by
ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full
health and vigour.
2. Freedom from discomfort - by
providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a
comfortable resting area.
3. Freedom from pain, injury or disease - by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
Animal health needs should be attended to in a prudent and
responsible manner by knowledgeable personnel. We support
the judicious use of antibiotics to treat sick or injured
animals as stipulated in the GB 31650.
4. Freedom to express normal behaviour - by providing sufficient space, proper facilities
and company of the animal’s own kind.
Animal housing should be designed, constructed, maintained
and operated in a manner that minimises and
prevents animal distress or injury.
5. Freedom from fear and distress - by
ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental
suffering
The processes and facilities for loading, transporting,
unloading and slaughter should be designed, constructed and
maintained so as to permit proper handling of animals and
prevent increased risk of injuries
and minimise animal distress.
In addition, we support efforts to improve the traceability
of our animal-based products, and recognize it is pivotal in
improving animal welfare throughout the supply chain.
Animal Welfare Policy Implementation and Supplier
Expectations
As a retailer, it is our responsibility to work with our
suppliers to support animal care and handling practices that
are responsible, sustainable and ethically justified. Our
suppliers are responsible for implementing our animal
welfare requirements, and we expect them to be committed to
upholding good animal welfare practices and to strive for
continuous improvement.
We have included animal welfare requirements in our supplier
audit checklist. In the event a producer is found to be
non-compliant with our animal welfare policy, our team may
request a Corrective Action Plan and follow-up assessment.
If issues remain unresolved, or the same non-compliances are
repeated, ALDI will take further action. This may include,
but is not limited to, excluding a producer from supply.
The ALDI AlertLine is available to report any known or
suspected misconduct involving ALDI CHINA. This includes but
is not limited to: human or animal abuse, harassment,
conflicts of interest, discrimination, theft, falsifying
company records, asking for or receiving inappropriate gifts
or gratuities and health and safety issues. We encourage
suppliers to share details about the AlertLine with
production facilities and farms and make this information
available to workers.
The Corporate Responsibility team annually reviews our
Animal Welfare policy and may modify the content based on
the guidance of animal welfare experts, suppliers, industry
organizations, and in consideration of developments in the
Chinese market. All changes to the animal welfare policy are
reviewed with our Senior Management.
ALDI CHINA Key Commitments on Animal Welfare
· Fresh meat and poultry suppliers must ensure that
animals are rendered unconscious (i.e. stunned) and
insensible to pain prior to entering the slaughter
process.
· Our private labeled shell egg supply chain will be
100 percent cage-free by 2025, based on available supply,
regulatory, and consumer demand. During the period of
transition, we will provide a range of fresh eggs to our
customers, providing them a variety of choices that include
cage-free alternatives.
· We prohibit the use of raw materials derived from
exotic and/or endangered animal species for our
products.
· For products containing down, feathers, or duck or
goose meat, we prohibit both live-plucking and force
feeding.
· We do not offer any products containing angora wool,
alpaca or real fur.
· For products made from merino wool, we prohibit our
suppliers from using the mulesing method.
· Animal testing is prohibited for finished health and
beauty products, detergents, and cleaners.
· We offer our customers vegetarian and vegan products
as alternatives to animal-based products and continuously
review our product options. The respective products are
labelled accordingly to ensure that they are recognisable
for consumers.
International Position Statement
Further information can be found in the ALDI ‘International
Position Statement on Animal Welfare'
(https://sustainability.aldisouthgroup.com/files/animal-welfare-factsheet ).
