Where Food Comes From, Inc. Announces Broad Expansion of RaiseWell® Certified Program with Whole Foods Market
CASTLE ROCK, Colo., Oct. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Where Food Comes From, Inc. (WFCF) (Nasdaq: WFCF), the most trusted resource for independent, third-party verification of food production practices in North America, today announced that Whole Foods Market has expanded its approval for the Company’s RaiseWell® Certified program to include chicken, turkey, pork and lamb. The expansion follows the successful launch of RaiseWell earlier this year for Whole Foods Market’s beef suppliers.
“Whole Foods Market’s expansion of its relationship with RaiseWell underscores the value this new certification offers suppliers and consumers as well as the strength of our long-standing relationship with Whole Foods Market, which is a pioneer in promoting high standards of animal welfare and transparency to farm or ranch,” said Leann Saunders, President and CSO of Where Food Comes From. “We are excited about this expansion and look forward to supporting Whole Foods Market and its suppliers in helping conscious consumers learn that the proteins they are purchasing meet Whole Foods Market’s rigorous animal welfare standards.”
Saunders added that the early response from beef suppliers has been strong with more than 347,000 head of cattle already enrolled in the RaiseWell program. Because Where Food Comes From has the industry’s largest portfolio of food claim certifications, existing and new customers for RaiseWell can benefit from the Company’s programs, which reduce costs and audit fatigue.
The RaiseWell standard is a market-ready, retailer-backed certification designed to meet the evolving expectations of premium natural retailers, foodservice operators, and consumers seeking higher standards for animal care, sourcing integrity, and supply chain transparency.
Developed in response to growing consumer demand and direct retailer input, RaiseWell Certified offers Whole Foods Market and other natural retailers a clear, third-party verified animal welfare claim that supports premium positioning, trusted sourcing, and differentiated in-store storytelling.
The certification requires that animals are raised to strict animal welfare standards at every stage of life, with no antibiotics or added hormones ever, and that livestock is source-verified back to the farm or ranch of origin, enabling traceability across the supply chain.
"Whole Foods Market has been a longtime leader on farm animal welfare. Expanding RaiseWell to cover all of our major farm-raised proteins is a natural next step," said Ann Marie Hourigan, Head of Quality Standards for Whole Foods Market. “It gives our producers access to rigorous animal welfare certification alongside a range of other food claims certifications."
RaiseWell Certified integrates seamlessly with WFCF’s CARE Certified® sustainability standard, enabling producers and retailers to combine verified claims to communicate practices related to animal care, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility, as well as add-on opportunities such as pasture-raised, grass-fed, and other value-added attributes into a single certification and audit experience.
Natural retailers, foodservice operators, farmers and ranchers, and producers interested in enrolling can contact WFCF for program requirements and onboarding information.
Learn more at www.wherefoodcomesfrom.com.
About Where Food Comes From, Inc.
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. 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 program uses web-based customer education tools to connect consumers to the sources of the food they purchase, increasing meaningful consumer engagement for our clients.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, based on current expectations, estimates and projections that are subject to risk. Forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and actual events could differ materially from the Company’s predictions. Important factors that could cause actual events to vary from predictions include those discussed in our SEC filings. Specifically, statements in this news release about industry leadership and expectations that the Company’s services will add value for producers, retailers, and consumers; and demand for, and impact and efficacy of, the Company’s products and services on the marketplace, are forward-looking statements that are subject to a variety of factors, including availability of capital, personnel and other resources; competition; governmental regulation of the agricultural industry; the market for beef and other commodities; and other factors. Readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update its forward-looking statements to reflect new information or developments. For a more extensive discussion of the Company’s business, please refer to the Company’s SEC filings at www.sec.gov.
Company Contacts:
Jennifer Moore-Stover
Manager, Livestock Marketing & Communications
jmoore@wherefoodcomesfrom.com
303.895.3002
Jay Pfeiffer
Manager, Investor Relations
jpfeiffer@wherefoodcomesfrom.com
Direct: 303-880-9000
