Perdue Farms Hosted Annual Sustainability Summit
The two-day event brought together stakeholders to review animal welfare initiatives and production transparency.
Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in Organic Food
Live Poll
Do you trust large food producers to effectively balance animal welfare with their business goals?
Perdue Farms hosted its 11th annual Animal Care and Sustainability Summit, bringing together more than 100 stakeholders to discuss responsible agriculture. The event included farm visits and expert presentations, highlighting the company's commitment to transparency in food production.
Why it matters
The summit aims to address ongoing challenges in agricultural resilience while building consumer trust through open collaboration. By showcasing operational practices, the company seeks to foster deeper accountability in its food production chain.
Perdue Farms has completed 121 animal care initiatives since 2016 and certified 48 Poultry Care Officers in 2025. As of July 2026, 17 of those officers had reached the company's highest certification tier.
The players
Perdue Farms
This is a major American poultry producer based in Salisbury, Maryland, known for its focus on organic and raised-without-antibiotics meat products.
The details
The summit combined farm visits in Georgetown, Delaware, with expert discussions on livestock care and sustainable methodology. The company maintains transparency through a mix of independent audits, third-party video monitoring, and ongoing farm tours for external stakeholders.
Timeline
Perdue launched its Commitments to Animal Care program in 2016.
The company certified 48 Poultry Care Officers throughout 2025.
By July 2026, 17 officers attained the highest tier of care certification.
The annual summit was held on September 30, 2026.
A third controlled atmosphere stunning system is expected to launch by the end of 2026.
Roadmap
Perdue Farms' focus on officer certification and controlled atmosphere stunning mirrors a broader industry transition toward evidence-based animal welfare practices. This shift helps align large-scale poultry production with evolving consumer expectations for higher ethical standards.
These sustainability initiatives influence the production standards for poultry products that consumers find on grocery store shelves nationwide. Increased transparency efforts allow shoppers to better evaluate the ethical footprint of the meat they purchase for their families.
The takeaway
Transparency summits are becoming a standard mechanism for agricultural companies to address consumer scrutiny regarding animal welfare. Readers can evaluate food quality by looking for brands that participate in these types of independent verification and audit programs.
What happens next
Perdue Farms plans to complete the installation and operation of a third controlled atmosphere stunning system at its Cromwell, Kentucky facility by the end of 2026.
Further reading
For additional context on industry-wide standards, visit the Organic Food section.
More information
To review the company's full data and internal standards, visit the Perdue Farms corporate information portal.
Live Poll
Do you trust large food producers to effectively balance animal welfare with their business goals?
