“At Butterball, our goal is nothing less than offering the richest, tastiest, most satisfying turkey products,” the company said in unveiling its new practices. “For us, that also has to mean the best cared-for, most ethically raised and healthiest turkeys we can produce.”

Butterball LLC has implemented significant additions and changes to its animal care and well-being program, in a bid to set industry standards for the nation’s turkey producers.

Dedicating considerable resources over the past 18 months, the company, which is based in Garner, North Carolina, has taken steps to renew and aggressively bolster its commitment to ensuring the safety and care of its animals across four key focus areas:

• formation of the Animal Care and Well-Being Advisory Council
• better employee training
• independent American Humane Association (AHA) Certification and
• continuous improvement of operational processes.