Eighteen major hospitality brands, including Burger King, Nando’s, KFC, The Restaurant Group and The Big Table, have withdrawn from their commitments to the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC), triggering criticism from animal welfare groups and prompting the launch of a new industry-led initiative.
Eight businesses, which own or franchise the 18 brands, announced they are stepping back from the BCC and said instead they were working together in a new industry group it called the Sustainable Chicken Forum (SCF).
The companies said they no longer believe the BCC is the right framework to deliver the next phase of welfare improvements, particularly because of its requirement to switch exclusively to slower-growing chicken breeds.
However, animal welfare charity Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) described the move as a serious setback.
“It is deeply disappointing to see 18 hospitality brands, including Burger King, Nando’s, The Big Table, The Restaurant Group and KFC, step back from their Better Chicken Commitments (BCC), at a time when we are seeing progress and it’s being fully supported by consumers when given the choice to buy higher welfare chicken,” the charity said.
“BCC-compliant chicken is available, and volumes will increase further as retailers like M&S expand their BCC fresh chicken supply. The food service sector should be capitalising on this rather than stepping back from the BCC.”
In announcing the creation of the SCF, the hospitality businesses said their decision was driven by concerns over the wider impacts of switching to slower-growing breeds, including environmental sustainability and supply security.
They pointed to analysis suggesting that slower-growing breeds generate 24.4% more greenhouse gas emissions and require 34.5% more water, while a large-scale transition could reduce European poultry production by up to 44%, due to increased space requirements.
The companies warned that these impacts would compound existing supply pressures caused by avian flu outbreaks, lower stocking densities and planning restrictions on new poultry facilities.
They also said they face growing obligations to reduce their water and carbon footprints and deliver net zero commitments, arguing that an expanded use of slower-growing breeds would work against those goals.
Allen Simpson, chief executive of UKHospitality, said operators were navigating “acute chicken supply pressures”.
“Consumer demand for chicken continues to soar. However, this demand comes at a time of acute chicken supply pressures and operators rightly have to ensure consistent and secure supply chains, while continuing to improve welfare standards and cut their environmental impact,” he said.
“The Sustainable Chicken Forum will play a vital role to make even more progress, as well as overcoming this shared supply challenge.”
CIWF rejected claims that moving to higher-welfare breeds harms environmental or food safety outcomes.
“Claims that adopting higher welfare breeds compromises food safety or environmental outcomes are unfounded, as there are a broader range of socio-economic and environmental benefits to breed change that should be considered,” the charity said.