KFC Canada has a responsibility to sign onto the Better Chicken Commitment

Being ethical and responsible extends beyond people. Private companies have a real-world impact that can affect all of us and so they must be urged to be ethical and responsible, and they must be held accountable.

In response to increased expectations from society, many companies are adapting their business practices and values through business models like Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that help a company be socially accountable to itself, its stakeholders, and the public.

How does animal welfare fit in?

Many companies will set standards and report on them to the public and their shareholders in their annual reporting. This sort of transparency enables the public to hold companies accountable to their commitments. Additionally, reports like the annual Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare report or the Pecking Order report on chicken welfare bring attention to companies’ policies and how well or not they are performing on animal welfare in their supply chains.

Consumers want assurances that animals raised for food are treated well, and companies, such as quick service restaurants and retailers, are increasingly including animal welfare in their policies. In this regard, KFC Canada is lagging far behind. KFC Canada is responsible for the well-being of millions of chickens, yet it has no commitments to improve their welfare.

Why KFC Canada must make animal welfare improvements

Chickens are one of the most intensively farmed animal species on the planet. The modern chicken has been bred for such fast growth that s/he reaches market (slaughter) weight in a mere 40 days of age. This extreme genetic manipulation costs birds a lot in terms of pain and suffering. The animals experience painful leg injuries, mobility issues and lameness, and sometimes even heart attacks. Moreover, modern poultry operations are crowded and barren – chickens have no perches, hay bales or anything else to satisfy their behavioural needs.

Chickens are sentient beings, and they deserve a life worth living. Billions of chickens are born into these unacceptable low welfare conditions every day. Companies like KFC must take responsibility for the intensified animal agriculture systems they force chickens and other farm animals to suffer through.

The Better Chicken Commitment

The Better Chicken Commitment is an initiative based on the latest science that encourages companies to make improvements for chickens. It includes the adoption of slower growing breeds, more space for the birds to move around and enrichments. Over 200 companies have already signed onto the Better Chicken Commitment because they know that it’s the right thing to do. But KFC Canada has not.

Sign our petition to join us in urging KFC Canada to sign onto the Better Chicken Commitment.

With more and more companies acknowledging animal welfare as a priority business issue and a responsibility, KFC Canada must do better. Tell KFC Canada’s President, Ms. Nivera Wallani, that you want KFC Canada to improve the welfare of chickens in their supply chain by signing onto the Better Chicken Commitment.

KFC in the UK and six countries in Europe have committed to giving their chickens more room to move around so they can perch, forage and flap their wings. They’ve agreed to use slower growing breeds with fewer health problems. This is all part of the Better Chicken Commitment to improve the welfare of chickens in their supply chain.

Why can't KFC Canada join them and give their chickens a life worth living?