What progress has been made for chickens in the past year and what was promised?
When KFC committed to the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) a year ago, it was a landmark moment. Not only did the commitment promise to improve the lives of millions of chickens, it also set a precedent for other big fast food chains to follow. But are retailers and fast food chains still lagging behind?
On 12th July 2019, bright and early, I was sat at my desk starting work for the day. Then suddenly the announcement came through: KFC had committed to the Better Chicken Commitment. In the UK and Ireland, KFC states that this would impact 60 million chickens, promising more space and less risk of painful and debilitating diseases prevalent in the majority of factory farms.
A year on, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the looming threat of US-imported chicken, there has been excellent progress for chicken welfare. In the past year, over half of the top 40 foodservice companies in the UK and EU have committed to the BCC.
Big chain restaurants including Pizza Hut, Papa John’s, Itsu, Wahaca, Wimpy, and Tortilla have followed in KFC’s footsteps, and pledged to comply with the standards of the BCC.
We estimate that 5% of UK retailer chicken now meets the BCC. And companies that are responsible for 22% of chicken purchasing have adopted the BCC, which we hope will continue to make it more and more viable for producers.
But key players in the food industry such as McDonald’s and Subway still refuse to sign up.
And, whilst supermarkets try to win over customers with plant-based ranges, they are still not showing concern about the abuse of chickens on factory farms. This is even more surprising when you consider the range of diseases that chickens on these farms are prone to.
Tesco, Aldi and Sainsbury’s have not committed to the BCC for the vast majority of chicken in their supply chain. And although Morrison’s was the first supermarket to stop selling caged shell eggs, it too has not signed up to the BCC.
Retailers and food companies must recognise that using breeds of chicken which produce lower quality meat - while also causing immense suffering to animals - is now completely out of step with public feeling and the direction of the market. The pandemic has caused people to value food more and waste less - chicken in particular. And, the outrage shown at the idea of importing chlorine washed chicken from the US shows that people are not willing to compromise on standards. Now is the time for retailers to get in line with these rising attitudes.
We’ll continue to fight against companies like Subway and McDonald’s who are shirking their responsibility to the chickens they profit from, and their customers.
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Update 22 July 2020
Today, soon after the one year anniversary of its commitment to the Better Chicken Commitment, KFC released its first annual Chicken Welfare Report.
Key to tracking progress is a new state-of-the-art welfare tool that will help drive meaningful improvement by giving instant, real-time feedback to suppliers. With the report, KFC is showing transparency around its progress, demonstrating that change is possible.