Fast food restaurants in a chain reaction to improve chicken welfare
Press release
World Animal Protection is urging fast food restaurants around the world to step up to the mark of Subway and improve the life of chickens in their supply chains.
As the tide starts to turn on companies in response to consumer demand, iconic food companies such as Subway, Burger King, Starbucks and others are committing to improving chicken welfare in the US.
However, international animal welfare charity, World Animal Protection, wants to see fast food giants such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Dominos, McDonald’s and Nando’s commit to improving chicken welfare and see more corporate commitments outside of the US.
By 2024, Subway is committing to using chickens bred for better welfare and to providing these animals with more space, natural light and enrichments. The company have also committed to be audited by a third party with updates communicated annually.
In a recent global poll released by World Animal Protection, 81% of respondents across the world said they would not buy chicken from a fast-food chain if they knew it had suffered serious health problems because of living on a cramped industrial farm.
Around 60 billion meat chickens are raised for global consumption each year. An estimated two thirds of these animals (40 billion) live in bleak, overcrowded sheds or cages with little or no natural light or fresh air, with fewer opportunities to perch, forage, explore or dustbathe.
Jonty Whittleton, Global Director of Animals in Farming at World Animal Protection said:
“As consumers learn more about the horrific conditions chickens are raised in, they are increasingly demanding to know where the food on their plate comes from. Restaurants who source chickens raised in more humane systems will remain ahead of this curve.
“We want other fast food companies to commit to criteria which will see birds bred for better welfare and provided with more space, natural light and enrichments to keep them occupied. This should be a minimum requirement for the billions of chickens farmed worldwide. Animal suffering and public interest in improving animal welfare does not stop at geographical borders.
“We’re pleased that week by week more companies are rallying around to end the secret suffering of chickens, but more companies need to join the movement. Lots of major fast food companies are still on the fence and these are the ones we’d like to see shift.”
Last year, hundreds of thousands of people signed up to World Animal Protection’s Change for Chickens campaign urging iconic global fast-food companies to improve the lives of chickens.
ENDS
For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Jonaid Jilani on
T. +44 (0) 20 7239 0500 // 0673 E. jonaidjilani@worldanimalprotection.org
Notes to Editors
• Major US companies that have made commitments to improve animal welfare are Burger King, Tim Hortons, Panera Bread, Aramark, Sodexo, Starbucks and Subway in the last year.
https://www.worldanimalprotection.org/news/world-animal-protection-appl…
Jonty Whittleton, Global Director of Animals in Farming at World Animal Protection said: “As consumers learn more about the horrific conditions chickens are raised in, they are increasingly demanding to know where the food on their plate comes from. Restaurants who source chickens raised in more humane systems will remain ahead of this curve.