In a company press release, the Cheesecake Factory announced progress toward its goal of eliminating gestation crates from its pork supply. As detailed in its recently published 2021 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, the company is projecting that it will transition 75% of its US pork supply to be fully gestation crate-free by the end of 2022, accomplished through a unique partnership with its strategic suppliers.

The Cheesecake Factory said it has started aligning its contracted pork supply nationwide with standards that ban gestation crates during sows’ 16-week pregnancy cycles, and prohibit confining breeding sows to less than 24 square feet of usable floorspace per animal.

“The welfare of all animals throughout our supply chain is critically important to us,” said Megan Bloomer, Vice President of Sustainability for The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated. “We are on the path to eliminating gestation crates and thanks to our valued pork suppliers we are able to further improve the welfare of sows in our supply chain by aligning with these standards. We are working to reach 100% compliance for gestation crate-free.”