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Heinen’s enhances label, sourcing transparency in meat case

CARE Certified program extended for beef, pork and poultry

Russell Redman

March 23, 2021

3 Min Read
Heinens meat WFCF CARE Certified program-signs.png
Heinen’s-brand beef and pork and Gerber Poultry will bear the CARE Certified logo on packaging so that consumers will know which product claims have been independently verified.Heinen's

Upscale grocer Heinen’s has implemented the Where Food Comes From CARE Certified program for on-site verification of label claims for beef, pork and poultry.


Castle Rock, Colo.-based Where Food Comes From Inc. (WFCF), which provides independent verification of food production practices in North America, said Tuesday that Heinen’s marks the first U.S. retailer to employ CARE in its meat case. 

Going forward, the companies said, Heinen’s-brand beef and pork and Gerber Poultry will bear the CARE Certified logo on packaging so that consumers will know which product claims from farmers, ranchers and food manufacturers — such as grass-fed, no added hormones and humanely raised — have been vetted by a third-party auditor. Heinen’s CARE Certified partners include Brandt Beef (all-natural beef), Clemens Food Group (pork) and Gerber’s Poultry (chicken).

Heinens meat WFCF CARE Certified program-store.jpg

In 2011, Heinen’s was the first retailer to display the WFCF source verification logo and QR code on products in its meat case.

Introduced last year, the CARE Certified suite includes animal care, environmental stewardship, and people and community supply-chain sustainability programs. WFCF said CARE program is designed to support farmers, ranchers and processors in establishing and improving sustainable practices based on region, climate, natural resources, production style, workforce and community interaction.

“The way you maximize quality in proteins is by making sure you deliver as little stress to the animals as possible, so doing the right thing only delivers better results,” Tom Heinen, co-president of Heinen’s, said in a statement. 

Related:Meat sales reach record highs in 2020, increasing by 19.2%

The Cleveland-based chain operates 23 supermarkets in Ohio and Illinois. “I felt like our customers were looking for third-party certification,” Heinen said. “CARE allows us to promote these claims to our customers that really care about them.”

WFCF said its solutions are used to verify food claims, optimize production practices and enable food supply chains with analytics and data driven insights. In addition, the company’s retail and restaurant labeling program uses web-based customer education tools to connect consumers to the sources of the food they purchase, in turn raising consumer engagement for our clients. WFCF services are used by more than 15,000 farmers, ranchers, vineyards, wineries, processors, retailers, distributors, trade associations, consumer brands and restaurants. 

“We are pleased to welcome the Heinen’s grocery chain as our first retail customer for CARE Certified,” stated Leann Saunders, chief operating officer of Where Food Comes From. “Heinen’s is a forward-thinking organization that has been a leader among retailers in providing consumers with transparency in their protein supply chain. Heinen’s has been a WFCF customer since 2011, when it became the first retailer to display the WFCF source verification logo and QR code on products in its meat case. We are excited to add CARE to their product line.”

Related:Heinen’s partners with Afresh to reduce food waste

Meat grocery sales climbed 20% in 2020, according to IRI data cited in the annual “Power of Meat” study from FMI-The Food Industry Association and the Meat Institute’s Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education, released today during the American Meat Conference. Three out of every four Americans think meat belongs in healthy, balanced diets — up nearly 20% since last year — and 94% say they purchase meat because it provides high-quality protein. In addition, 43% of Americans report that they now buy more meat than before the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly because they are making more meals at home, the study revealed. 

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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