DineEquity, Inc., the parent company of iconic restaurant brands IHOP and Applebee's, announced January 23 a new policy that will eliminate the use of gestation crates from its pork supply chain for its more than 3,500 restaurants.

Kevin Mortesen, DineEquity's Vice President, Communications, released the following statement about the company's new policy:

“DineEquity, and our franchisees who own and operate Applebee's and IHOP restaurants, are committed to ensuring our guests enjoy delicious meals featuring ingredients that are produced and sourced as responsibly and sustainably as possible. As part of that commitment, we hold our suppliers to the highest standards of quality and integrity. This includes practices regarding animal welfare, such as our previously announced pledge to increase the use of cage-free egg products.

Today, we are pleased to announce that DineEquity expects all of our vendors to phase out the practice known as "pig gestation crating." By 2020, Applebee's and IHOP will only serve pork products that are produced without the use of gestation crates. We recognize there are challenges to meeting this goal, but as one of the world's largest full-service restaurant companies, we are confident our suppliers will meet our expectations and work with us to achieve this objective.”