The fried chicken giant has reneged on its Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) target to switch to slower-growing breeds, saying the UK poultry industry is ‘not yet in an operational or commercial position’ to deliver such an ambition.
KFC became the first fast food chain in the UK to sign up to the BCC back in 2019 and pledged to work with suppliers to implement better welfare standards for its broiler chickens by 2026.
This included a commitment to transition away from using so-called ‘Frankenchickens’, which are bred to grow at an accelerated rate and are linked to higher mortality rates, lameness and muscle disease.
Speaking at the Egg & Poultry Industry Conference last week, Ruth Edge, KFC UK&I head of sustainability, said the company had now concluded the highly publicised switch was not achievable in the planned timescale.
“We’re not saying we’re never going to,” she said. “But we’re saying for 2026, and the way the market has developed, or lack of, we’re not going to be able to do it.”
Rudi Van Schoor, chief supply chain officer for KFC Europe, subsequently told The Grocer: “The reality is, at the moment, the UK poultry industry is not yet in an operational or commercial position to deliver the Better Chicken Commitment by 2026.
”But we remain committed to the Better Chicken Commitment framework – we signed up in good faith and with the best intentions, and have worked hard with our chicken suppliers to deliver year on year improvements in key welfare outcomes, being completely transparent about progress.”
In response, animal protection charity The Humane League UK (THL UK) has announced a protest against KFC’s Woking HQ this week.
Katie Ferneyhough, head of programs at THL UK, said: “We were over the moon when KFC announced they’d help their birds in 2019. Indeed, KFC has benefited from publicity and praise because of this decision.
“Now they say they will not stop using ‘Frankenchickens’ by 2026. That means tens of millions of chickens in their supply chain growing too big, too quickly; often lying in their own waste, which burns them, and experiencing severe lameness and inflamed joints, rendering them unable to walk.
“The use of ‘Frankenchickens’ is the biggest animal welfare crisis of our time, and we will not tolerate companies breaking their promises to animals.
“We will not rest until KFC comes to the table and sets out a new timeline for adopting the BCC; next week’s protest is just the start of that work.”