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Bon Appetit Management Company To Buy Only Humanely Raised Ground Beef

Major Food Service Company To Buy Only Humanely Raised Ground Beef
BURLINGTON, CO - AUGUST 23: Cattle await sale at the Burlington Livestock Exchange on August 23, 2012 in Burlington, on the plains of eastern Colorado. The nation's severe drought has been especially hard on cattlemen, and many ranchers have been forced to cull much of their herds for sale, as grasslands have dried up. Most of the high plains areas of eastern Colorado and virtually all of Nebraska and Kansas are still in extreme or exceptional drought, despite recent lower temperatures, according to the University of Nebraska's Drought Monitor. The record-breaking drought, which has affected more than half of the continental United States, is expected to drive up food prices by 2013 due to lower crop harvests and the adverse effect on the nation's cattle industry. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
BURLINGTON, CO - AUGUST 23: Cattle await sale at the Burlington Livestock Exchange on August 23, 2012 in Burlington, on the plains of eastern Colorado. The nation's severe drought has been especially hard on cattlemen, and many ranchers have been forced to cull much of their herds for sale, as grasslands have dried up. Most of the high plains areas of eastern Colorado and virtually all of Nebraska and Kansas are still in extreme or exceptional drought, despite recent lower temperatures, according to the University of Nebraska's Drought Monitor. The record-breaking drought, which has affected more than half of the continental United States, is expected to drive up food prices by 2013 due to lower crop harvests and the adverse effect on the nation's cattle industry. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Bon Appetit Management Company (BAMCO), a major food service company with over 500 locations in 32 states, is already known as a leader in the sustainable food. In the past few years, Bon Appetit has switched to cage-free eggs, fair trade chocolate and sustainable seafood. Now, the company has pledged to go one step further -- it will buy only humanely raised ground beef starting September 1.

According to the company's press release, the cattle must be certified by one of four independent animal-welfare organizations. Last year, 405,000 pounds of the 1.2 million pounds of ground beef and patties purchased by BAMCO held those certifications. That's another 800,000 pounds that Bon Appetit plans to add this year.

The Washington Post spoke with Fedele Bauccio, the company's CEO and co-founder (and HuffPost blogger), about the move. "I'm out to change the industry, and I want to be able to influence the big players to change their practices," he says.

Earlier this year, Bon Appetit also pledged to source its pork only from producers not using gestation crates.

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