Businesses ranging in size from the international chain McDonald’s to small independent restaurants are included in the list, the winner of which will be announced at a gala ceremony at the Natural History Museum in London on 11 October.

One of the judges, broadcaster and journalist Richard Johnson, said: “This year we have had a surge of quality entrants, indicating that restaurants are rightly taking note of the importance of animal welfare to their customers.”

The finalists are: London’s Cubana, Edinburgh’s Iglu, Leon, McDonald’s, Moshi Moshi and The Swan Inn in Inkpen.

• Cubana Bar & Restaurant, Waterloo promotes its animal welfare stance on their menu only using UK, free-range animal-derived produce from proven suppliers. It does not serve lobster or foie gras.
• Iglu Café Bar & Restaurant, Edinburgh sells locally reared meat and organic, free range eggs. It does not serve foie gras and plans to introduce a staff-training programme on all aspects of animal welfare.
• Leon’s eight London-based restaurants source higher welfare meat, eggs and dairy produce from UK farms they trust. They only use fish from sustainable sources.
• McDonald’s encourages all levels of the supply chain to improve animal welfare and promotes the positive welfare of animals by providing for their needs in accordance with the Five Freedoms concept.
• Moshi Moshi’s five restaurants serve predominantly sustainably caught fish, using Freedom Food accredited farmed salmon. The chain has fostered direct relationships with fishermen in order to guarantee a strict environmental policy. It also uses free range pork, chicken and eggs.
• The Swan Inn in Inkpen near Hungerford includes a farm shop and the Cygnet Restaurant. The owners have a clear farm to fork policy that encompasses higher animal welfare. Eggs are free range, foie gras is permanently off the menu, and their farm is in the Defra Higher Level Stewardship Scheme.

David Bowles, RSPCA head of external affairs, said: “Consumers are increasingly keen to know where the food on their plate comes from and, if animal-derived, whether welfare was in mind when it was produced.

Source: MeatInfo