KAMUELA, Hawaii — Paniolo Cattle Company, one of the largest local beef programs in the state of Hawaiʻi, has committed to the Where Food Comes From CARE Certified™ sustainability program, known as BeefCARE for the beef industry, which verifies that they are utilizing best practices in caring for their cattle, the environment and the people and communities who support them.
“For 175 years Parker Ranch has focused on good stewardship of the land, livestock and the people of Parker Ranch and our community. We are grateful to have Where Food Comes From CARE Certified™ to help share that message with others,” said Keoki Wood, Livestock Operations Manager at Parker Ranch.
The Where Food Comes From CARE Certified™ suite includes standards for the beef, pork, poultry, dairy and aquaculture industries. All are intended to recognize producers who go above and beyond current industry standards when it comes to animal care, environmental stewardship and supporting their people and communities, while ensuring that traceability remains intact throughout the supply chain. The development of the BeefCARE standard is supported by a Public Comment period, a scientific Expert Committee with expertise in the beef industry as well as a Beef Producer Committee.
“Parker Ranch is no stranger to sustainable practices, and their history proves that, but by committing to a third-party verified program like BeefCARE, they are taking that extra step to prove to consumers that the claims they are making are authentic. BeefCARE allows them the ability to communicate their story to consumers in a verifiable way, and we are excited to have them on board,” said Leann Saunders, President and COO of Where Food Comes From, Inc.
“For generations, Parker Ranch has operated with an appreciation of the connection between the cattle we tend to, the land we steward, and the communities we support. In recent decades, our practices have evolved to reflect the contemporary understanding of soil health, animal well-being, and environmental conservation. We are proud to be in the BeefCARE program, as it reflects and validates the high expectations and comprehensive set of responsibilities we have as Paniolo,” said Jacob Tavares, Livestock Business Operations Manager at Parker Ranch.
ABOUT PARKER RANCH
Parker Ranch is one of the largest and oldest cattle ranches in the United States. Parker Ranch Inc. is owned by Parker Ranch Foundation Trust whose beneficiaries are four non-profits: Queen’s North Hawai’i Community Hospital, Hawai’i Preparatory Academy, Parker School and Hawai’i Community Foundation. To learn more, please visit www.parkerranch.com or www.prft.org.
ABOUT PANIOLO CATTLE COMPANY
Paniolo Cattle Company in a wholly owned entity of Parker Ranch and was formed in 2014 to foster statewide local beef production. The pasture-to-plate enterprise taps into a growing demand for high-quality, affordable, locally raised beef. Paniolo Cattle Company beef is carried by all twenty-three (23) Safeway locations statewide, located on each of the major Hawaiian Islands. To learn more, please visit https://paniolocattle.com/
ABOUT WHERE FOOD COMES FROM
Where Food Comes From, Inc. is America’s trusted resource for third party verification of food production practices. Through proprietary technology and patented business processes, the Company estimates that it supports more than 17,500 farmers, ranchers, vineyards, wineries, processors, retailers, distributors, trade associations, consumer brands and restaurants with a wide variety of value-added services. Through its IMI Global, Validus Verification Services, SureHarvest, WFCF Organic and Postelsia units, Where Food Comes From 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 Where Food Comes From® retail and restaurant labeling programs uses web-based customer education tools to connect consumers to the sources of the food they purchase, increasing meaningful consumer engagement for our clients.
