Whole Foods Expanded RaiseWell Certification to New Proteins
The certification, which bans antibiotics and added hormones, now includes poultry, pork, and lamb for shoppers.
Updated on Oct. 5, 2026 in Organic Food
Live Poll
Do you look for third-party animal welfare certifications when purchasing meat products at the grocery store?
Whole Foods Market has expanded its RaiseWell Certified program to include chicken, turkey, pork, and lamb. This initiative provides shoppers with third-party verified transparency regarding the origin and production practices of these protein sources.
Why it matters
The expansion responds to increasing consumer demand and retailer input for higher animal welfare standards in meat production. By requiring source verification to the farm or ranch, the program allows shoppers to better trace the lifecycle of the products they purchase.
The RaiseWell program, verified by Where Food Comes From, Inc., currently includes 347,000 head of cattle across its beef operations. While the program is now open to other proteins, the specific adoption rates for chicken, turkey, pork, and lamb remain to be established.
The players
Whole Foods Market
A national natural and organic grocery retailer that sets sourcing standards for meat and poultry products.
Where Food Comes From, Inc.
A Castle Rock, Colorado-based third-party verification firm that audits food production and sustainability practices.
The details
The RaiseWell certification functions as a third-party audit process that confirms livestock are source-verified to their original ranch. To earn the label, producers must adhere to strict protocols that prohibit the use of antibiotics or added hormones. The process is designed to integrate with the CARE Certified sustainability standard, allowing producers to satisfy multiple verification requirements during a single audit.
Timeline
Earlier in 2026: Whole Foods Market successfully launched the RaiseWell program for beef suppliers.
October 5, 2026: Whole Foods Market officially expanded the certification to include chicken, turkey, pork, and lamb.
Health Landscape
The expansion of the RaiseWell program aligns with broader industry trends toward increased transparency in livestock management and agricultural sustainability. It marks an effort to integrate animal welfare verification with existing standards like the CARE Certified sustainability framework.
Shoppers looking to avoid antibiotics or added hormones in their meat can now look for the RaiseWell label on a wider variety of proteins at Whole Foods. If these specific production practices are important to your health goals, consider speaking with your doctor about your dietary preferences and sourcing priorities.
The takeaway
This certification shift highlights the growing importance of third-party verified transparency in the meat industry. When shopping, familiarize yourself with specific labels like RaiseWell to identify products that align with your personal standards for animal welfare and production protocols.
Further reading
For more on how production standards influence your grocery choices, explore our coverage on Organic Food.
More information
To learn more about the audit and verification process, visit the Where Food Comes From website.
Live Poll
Do you look for third-party animal welfare certifications when purchasing meat products at the grocery store?
