19 January 2018: World Animal Protection launched the Pecking Order 2018 report - the first-ever international ranking on the welfare of chickens raised for meat.
Burger King, KFC, Domino's Pizza Group, Domino's Inc[1], McDonalds, Nando's, Pizza Hut, Starbucks and Subway have all been assessed with deeply concerning results; not one of the companies is taking this critical issue seriously.
Key findings from The Pecking Order 2018 are:
· Alarmingly, none of the fast-food chains have a global policy on improving chicken welfare. In most areas, chickens are not even guaranteed a humane slaughter.
· No company receives a grade better than 'poor'
· Only three of the nine companies – Burger King, Starbucks and Subway – have demonstrated interest and ambition in addressing the main problems faced by factory farmed chickens. However, the commitments are all limited to one region or country.
· Four companies – McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Nando's were classed as having very poor chicken welfare.
· Domino's Inc. and Domino's PLC both received a 'failing' grade.
· Transparency is universally poor, with all companies providing little or no information to show how they are performing when it comes to chicken welfare.
It's estimated that 40 billion chickens around the world each year are subjected to significant cruelty in factory farms. Grown with little, if any, consideration for them as living, breathing, inquisitive animals, they are genetically selected to develop unnaturally fast, which places huge pressure on their heart, lungs and legs.
As a result, they often live their entire lives in chronic pain, suffering from lameness, skin lesions and even heart failure.
World Animal Protection's Change for Chickens campaign urges the food industry to commit to global policy changes that will improve the welfare of billions of chickens by;
· Using chicken breeds that grow at a healthier rate.
· Ensuring that chickens have the space to behave more naturally. Cages must never be used.
· Giving chickens the opportunity to enjoy natural behaviours via enrichment – including perches or platforms and pecking objects – natural lighting and high-quality bedding.
· Ensuring that chickens are slaughtered using more humane methods that avoid live shackling and render all animals unconscious before slaughter.
Jonty Whittleton, Global Campaign Head at World Animal Protection says: "The scores are in and it's not looking good for some of the world's largest fast-food brands when it comes to chicken welfare.
"These iconic companies must respond to growing consumer concerns over chicken cruelty, using their immense power to improve the lives of hundreds of millions of animals.
"Using tools such as The Pecking Order, we will continue to put pressure on these companies to change for chickens."
"There is no excuse for the pain, fear and stress that a factory farmed chicken feels for much of their life. Major brands, including those featured in The Pecking Order, profit from this pain. They hold the power to turn this situation around and there is a growing consumer concern that they must do so.
"Chickens are at the very heart of their businesses and deserve the chance to live a happier, healthier life. That's not too much to ask."
Companies are assessed via publicly available information on three areas: Interest, via policies (how important the welfare of chickens is to the company); ambition, via objectives and targets (the promises a company has made to improve chickens' lives); and transparency, via performance reporting (how clear the company is about living up to its promises).
Food companies that continue to turn a blind eye to this cruelty are under increasingly pressure to change their ways. World Animal Protection will review The Pecking Order every year to monitor the progress of major fast-food brands. The organisation hopes that future iterations of the ranking will highlight companies that are truly leading the way when it comes to chicken welfare.
