POULTRY TIMES, December 19, 2011 (Continued from previous page)
annually. The full study can be obtained at http://tinyurl.com/checkoffeconomics. More information on the United Soybean Board can be obtained at http://www.unitedsoybean.org; or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UnitedSoybeanBoard.
Henningsen installs solar electric system PORTLAND, Ore. — Henningsen Cold Storage has announced the installation and commissioning of a 78 kilowatt solar-electric system on its Portland, Ore., cold storage operation. It installed solar power to reduce and stabilize energy costs and to follow through on its long-standing commitment to protecting the environment, the company said. The Henningsen installation includes 336 multi-crystalline solar panels, manufactured in the U.S., covering 12,000 square feet of preexisting roof space. This system will supply approximately 5 percent of the electrical energy needs
•Sparboe
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for the 145,000 square foot facility or 77,280 kilowatt hours of annual energy production, the company noted. Henningsen operates three cold storage facilities in the Portland area. This marks the company’s second investment in solar power technology. In 2010, the company installed a 200 kilowatt system on its 142,000 square foot facility. It is estimated that during its 25year warranted life, the solar-energy system will keep 60 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, the company said, adding that, this is equivalent to driving an automobile more than 1,970,950 miles or the annual carbon dioxide offset of more than 61,800 trees. More information can be obtained at http://www.henningsen. com.
Just BARE Chicken now Humane certified WASHINGTON — American Humane Association’s farm animal welfare certification program has announced its newest American Humane Certified producer — Just
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Sparboe’s policies. “We also engaged an independent auditor from Iowa State University to conduct a third-party animal welfare audit, which confirmed that we are in full compliance with our animal welfare policies,” Schnell said. “In fact, we have successfully passed three additional third party audits in the last ten days.” Schnell pointed out that “for 57 years, the Sparboe family and hundreds of dedicated employees have worked hard every day to properly care for our chickens so they will produce well for our loyal customers who, in turn, will provide families with safe, nutritious, affordable eggs. That’s why we were so sickened that the wrongful acts of a handful of bad actors would raise questions about Sparboe Farms’ earned reputation and overshadow the good work of the vast majority of our employees who strive to do the right thing every day.” Schnell said that all of the company’s bird-handling employees have been re-trained, and that “we are going to increase our animal care, food safety and com-
BARE® Chicken. This premium, all-natural brand of chicken, distributed by Minnesota-based GNP Co., has no antibiotics, no added hormones, no animal byproducts and no unwanted solutions or additives, the group noted, adding that, it has traceability to the family farm where it was raised, and the promise of a lighter environmental footprint, as proven by the carbon reduction logo on every package. “Just BARE Chicken is an exciting addition to the ranks of American Humane Certified producers,” said Dr. Robin R. Ganzert, president and CEO of the American Humane Association. “The brand’s focus on caring practices, transparency and high quality standards for its chickens is a perfect match for our farm animal welfare program.” In early 2012, the American Humane Certified seal will be added to labels of the company’s fresh and frozen lines of Just BARE all-natural chicken, which include items ranging from hand-trimmed boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets to whole chicken to boneless, skinless chicken thighs. The American Humane Certified seal signifies that
pliance staff.” Regarding the FDA violations, Schnell said that earlier this year Sparboe responded to the FDA with corrective actions within 15 days of each inspection. In light of the recent warning letter advising the company that additional corrective steps are needed, “Our team will continue to work with the FDA to successfully address the remaining concerns immediately,” Schnell said. Schnell underscored that “at no time has there been any health risk from Sparboe Farms eggs. Not a single egg has ever tested positive for salmonella. So the bottom line for consumers is that Sparboe Farms eggs and egg products are safe to eat.” Sparboe Farms is dedicated to “continuous improvement in every area of our business because we want to truly be ‘best in class’ for the benefit of customers and consumers. And we are committed to always doing what’s right and conducting business in a socially responsible manner,” Schnell added. More information can be obtained at http://www. sparboeupdate.com.
Business an independent, third-party audit verified that Just BARE’s animal care and handling processes met the more than 200 standards certified by American Humane Association. According to Julie Berling, director of brand advocacy and marketing for Just BARE, only a few small changes were required for the brand to achieve certification. However, this didn’t surprise her, since the respectful care and handling of its chickens has been a priority for the company since it was founded in 1926. “For us, the real benefit of Just BARE becoming an American Humane Certified producer is the access to the leading thinking on animal welfare of American Humane Association and the added consumer trust and confidence third-party certification provides,” Berling said. In October 2010, GNP Co. conducted a study with its consumer panel to determine how much trust consumers place in various levels of animal welfare claims. Choices included certification by a third-
party animal welfare association, by a government or industry association, or by a company’s own records. Nearly 62 percent of Just BARE target consumers said they placed a high degree of trust in certification by a third-party animal welfare association, as long as it was executed by a known and reputable certifier — more than twice that of each of the other two options. “With its founding association dating back to 1877, it being the nation’s first and fastest-growing farm animal welfare program, and its sound, science-based standards,” Berling said, “the American Humane Certified Farm Program fits the bill as a known and reputable certifier and, in our opinion, is the best and strongest choice for animal welfare certification.” A listing of American Humane Certified producers can be obtained at http://www.thehumanetouch.org. More information about Just BARE Chicken can be obtained at http://www.gnpcompany.com; or http://www. justbarechicken.com.
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