Holly Spindler
Foodservice companies catering for the Queen, the Natural History Museum, and Royal Bank of Scotland suspected of sourcing intensively-reared chicken.
In the UK, there is a growing awareness of where food comes from, and how it is produced. Many people are now making more ethical choices about the food they have at home, and at restaurants. They are choosing not to eat meat or eggs from animals raised on intensive factory farms. But sometimes, animal suffering can be occurring where you least expect it.
The Humane League UK have released a new report, highlighting leading Foodservice companies that have refused to commit to higher-welfare chicken.
Chickens reared for meat on intensive farms are bred to produce as much breast muscle in as little time as possible. This leads to painful and often debilitating leg weakness and bone problems. As a result, many struggle to walk. The conditions they are raised in are unimaginable, with little space and no enrichment causing mental distress.
The European Chicken Commitment (ECC) is a set of criteria to improve the welfare of chickens raised for meat. Agreed by a group of leading animal welfare organisations, including The Humane League UK, it bans the use of breeds that grow too fast, and gives the chickens more space, improved air quality and light. By signing up to the ECC, companies can significantly reduce the suffering of chickens in their supply chains.
These standards have already been adopted by food industry leaders such as KFC, Compass, Nestlé and Marks & Spencer. Yet many of the biggest Foodservice companies are refusing to follow suit.
These companies have big-name clients such as the Queen, the Natural History Museum, the British Museum, the V&A Museum, Royal Bank of Scotland, The BBC and Network Rail.
I think many would be shocked to find out that companies serving highly reputable institutions from the Natural History Museum to The Queen may be sourcing factory-farmed chicken with the lowest of welfare standards, and refuse to engage in dialogue on the issue.
~ Annie Evans, European Corporate Relations Coordinator at The Humane League UK
Back in 2019, our Corporate Relations team reached out to 40 of the UK’s largest Foodservice companies to determine which showed a commitment to improving chicken welfare and which showed no interest in doing so.
As a result, 21 leading businesses have now committed to the ECC, including big names like Apetito, Newrest, and Interserve.
While 52.5% of the top 40 Foodservice companies have now committed to the ECC, many companies have refused to sign up or ignored our attempts at dialogue. These companies are huge, collectively serving millions of meals per day, so we cannot underestimate the effect this will have on the animals.
By adopting the European Chicken Commitment, companies can make an important and meaningful commitment to improving the lives of chickens reared for meat - and it is fantastic to see so many companies now taking this seriously. We hope that this report will galvanise the rest of the Foodservice sector into taking much-needed action to improve the welfare of chickens.
~ Annie Evans, European Corporate Relations Coordinator at The Humane League UK
