OLIVEBRIDGE, NY. — Women-owned dog food company Evermore Pet Food announced it is the first commercially prepared food — in both the human and pet food category — to achieve full Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) compliance through its use of Mary’s Heirloom Pasture-Raised Slow-Growth Chicken in its chicken recipe dog food. The Mary’s Free Range Chicken product that Evermore uses for its dog food has attained Global Animal Partnership (GAP) Step 4 and Better Chicken Project (BCP) certification.

Recognized by leading animal welfare organizations in North America and Europe, the BCC is a set of welfare standards for chickens used for meat. The certification aims to advocate for better farming practices for broiler chickens. The GAP certification helps enable continued improvements in farmed animal welfare by using species-specific standards. To ensure GAP compliance, third-party certifiers audit every chicken farm every 15 months. GAP Step 4 certification indicates the animals are pasture-raised and the BCP certification designates the use of an approved chicken breed.

“We’re proud to be the first pet food company to hit full BCC compliance and it’s wild that we achieved this milestone before any commercially prepared human food companies,” said Alison Blumberg, Evermore co-founder. “We have been actively trying to move to pasture-raised chicken since 2017, but it just wasn’t available at the volume we need. We’re grateful to the BCC for increasing awareness and demand for humanely raised chicken.”

Blumberg and co-founder Hanna Mandlebaum started making ethically sourced, gently cooked food for dogs in 2009. Since its founding, Evermore has kept animal welfare, product quality, transparency and accountability at the forefront of its business. The company originally achieved GAP certification in 2022.

GAP is recognized by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA’s) Shop With Your Heart program,  a resource to help consumers find brands that align with their values. Evermore is listed as a higher welfare option and is a featured pet food in ASPCA’s Higher-Welfare Pet Food Initiative which recognizes brands for their commitment to responsible animal sourcing.

“We are thrilled that Evermore has not only achieved the standards outlined by the BCC, but is also sourcing chickens raised on pasture, as verified by an independent certification,” said Maral Cavner, senior manager of corporate policy, ASPCA Farm Animal Welfare.

Read more about sustainability efforts across the pet food and treat industry.