Welfare activist organization, Compassion in World Farming USA, has announced that Aramark, Compass Group, Nestle USA, Panera Bread, Shake Shack, Sodexo, and Target have formed the Working Group for Broiler Welfare.
This consortium has committed to the Better Chicken Commitment that comprises:
- Maximum stocking density of 6.0 pounds per square foot
- Enriched environment including lighting to meet Global Animal Partnership Standards
- Controlled-atmosphere stun-to-kill
- Third-party auditing
- By 2026, slow-growing breeds will be required consistent with the RSPCA Broiler Breed Welfare Assessment Protocol.
These requirements will obviously restrict sourcing to specific producers that are willing to invest in compliance and will incur additional costs. With the exception of Target, the list of participating companies (“the usual suspects”) are able to pass on additional costs to consumers. This is especially the situation with the food service companies that supply corporate dining and universities where sentiment is more important than price.
Target may come to regret their affiliation, especially when slow-growing breeds are required in four and a half years time since they will be at a competitive disadvantage relative to other major supermarket chains. CHICK-NEWS favors choice with alternatives to conventional products offered at higher prices but with commensurate and factual information to consumers.
The Compassion in World Farming Standards are essentially adopted from E.U. and U.K. specifications that have little scientific justification and are based on sentiment and anthropomorphism. The underlying objective is less “welfare” than outright dismantling of livestock production in favor of a vegan diet.