U.S. Animal Welfare Policy

The following outlines our U.S. animal welfare policy. As we continue to grow, we will actively explore opportunities to communicate the standards upheld by our global partners related to their sourcing practices. As a global company with licensed partners worldwide, we are dedicated to advancing responsible sourcing practices across our supply chain, while considering regional nuances.

PRINCIPLES

We believe in the welfare of the animals raised for our supply chain and require our suppliers to adhere to the highest standards of animal care and handling.

We stand firmly behind the Five Freedoms of each species, a comprehensive framework ensuring farm animals have lives worth living.

For all farm animals raised for Shake Shack’s supply chain, or that provide milk or eggs, we stand for:

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst

2. Freedom from discomfort

3. Freedom from pain, injury, or disease

4. Freedom to express normal behavior

5. Freedom from fear and distress

SOURCING STANDARDS

Beef

At Shake Shack, we stand for:

• No added hormones, ever
• No antibiotics
• No animal by-products or sub-therapeutic antibiotics in feed
• Humane treatment of cattle throughout their life

Pork

At Shake Shack, we stand for:

• No added hormones¹
• No antibiotics, ever
• No animal by-products or sub-therapeutic antibiotics in feed
• No routine needle teeth clipping or grinding
• Humane treatment of pigs, including access to the outdoors (if possible) and warmth and security if raised indoors

The pigs raised for our supply chain are provided with adequate feed and water and are raised outdoors (or in open pen settings) with the freedom to turn around and move about freely.

A portion of our bacon supply is sourced from producers that strictly prohibit the use of farrowing or gestation crates. As our business has grown and demand has increased, we have also sourced from additional producers who use confinement for a brief period (less than seven days) during gestation or farrowing. We are committed to working closely with these partners and future pork producers to minimize and ultimately eliminate the duration of time a pig is confined.

Chicken

At Shake Shack, we stand for:

• No added hormones¹
• No antibiotics, ever
• No animal by-products or sub-therapeutic antibiotics in feed
• Humane treatment of chickens, with a requirement for cage-free, enriched environments that allows for natural movement, including turning around and flapping wings

We remain committed to the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC). In 2025, we continued to make progress towards meeting the BCC requirements, including in the following areas:

• Litter: 100% of our purchases meet the standard for litter
• Lighting: 100% of our purchases meet the standard for the duration of light and dark hours as well as light lux at 50 lux (currently darkness lux is not met)
• Enrichment: 100% of our purchases meet the standard for enrichment
• Stocking Density: A portion of our purchases meets the stocking density target of 6 pounds per sq/ft, for the remaining purchases, stocking density does not exceed 7 pounds per sq/ft, remaining within accepted industry standards

We recognize that there is room for improvement in our chicken sourcing practices and continue to work toward meeting the BCC targets to ensure chickens are sourced humanely and respectfully. While we are fully compliant with BCC requirements related to litter and enrichments, we are actively working to implement the remaining components, including lighting, stocking density, controlled atmosphere stunning, and breed, and will continue to report on our progress.

Eggs

At Shake Shack, we stand for:

• Raising hens in open environments that allow them to feel comfortable and express natural behaviors, including perching, dustbathing, jumping, and flying
• Providing hens with sufficient space to walk, spread their wings, and freely lay eggs

We require our domestic suppliers to source 100% cage-free eggs across our supply chain.

Dairy

Shake Shack adheres to the National Milk Producers Federation’s standard prohibiting tail docking in dairy cows. We also encourage our suppliers to use selective breeding practices to eliminate the need for dehorning. Additionally, rBST/rBGH is prohibited in our fluid dairy supply.

PROCEDURES & TRAINING

All Shake Shack meat, poultry, dairy, and egg suppliers must meet defined standards overseen by the Food Safety and Quality Assurance team, including annual third-party animal welfare audits.

Shake Shack maintains a zero-tolerance policy for the mistreatment of animals throughout their lifespan. If a supplier is found to have mistreated an animal, Shake Shack will immediately terminate the partnership. Reinstatement will only be considered if the supplier provides sufficient evidence that corrective actions have been taken, including employee retraining and demonstrable improvements to practices that meet our standards.

POLICY REVIEW & REVISION

As we continue to expand our range of protein offerings, we remain committed to sourcing from suppliers that align with our animal welfare standards. With the introduction of new menu items, we conduct due diligence to ensure partners meet our expectations for humane treatment and responsible practices.

For limited-time offerings, there may be instances where a new protein does not fully align with every standard outlined above. In such cases, we exercise discretion and source only from suppliers we trust to treat animals humanely and with care.

Shake Shack reserves the right to update this policy and its implementation based on new research, scientific advancements, and market availability, while maintaining our commitment to upholding the highest standards of animal welfare.

¹ Domestic business – federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones or steroids in poultry and pork

WE HEAR YOU

We care deeply about the issues that are important to our guests, so we want to hear from you! If we can ever do anything better, let us know at [email protected].

As part of our ongoing commitment to transparency, check out our annual Stand For Something Good Summary.