Tim Hortons and Burger King commit to improved chicken welfare

21/03/2017

The announcement made today by Restaurant Brands International (RBI), the parent company for these two iconic brands, will positively impact the welfare of millions of chickens

"This commitment, provides direction to both producers and other food companies. We are looking at the beginning of some very positive changes for chickens.”

The commitment by Tim Hortons and Burger King includes a move to chickens bred to have fewer health problems, more space for birds to move around, better lighting, improved litter quality and enrichments like perches so the chickens can express more of their natural behaviours.

The commitment also states that RBI will be working with animal welfare experts to achieve these changes by 2024.

“We are pleased to support RBI in this transition. Tim Hortons’ and Burger King’s announcement today is the most substantial commitment to improving chicken welfare we’ve seen to date in Canada,” says World Animal Protection Canada’s Executive Director Josey Kitson, “and for it to come from such iconic brands is a meaningful indication of where Canadian food companies are heading”.

RBI’s commitment to source improved welfare chicken for its more than 11,000 North American Tim Hortons and Burger King restaurants will require a substantial investment from Canadian chicken producers. “This commitment, provides direction to both producers and other food companies,” says Kitson, “we are looking at the beginning of some very positive changes for chickens.”

Good for animals, good for business

Tim Hortons and Burger King are the latest in a growing movement reflecting a change in consumer demand for more humanely produced goods. As consumers learn more about the inhumane conditions and suffering that factory-farmed animals endure, they are demanding more humanely produced goods, which is changing what we buy in restaurants and on supermarket shelves.

At the end of 2016, Compass Group USA, Aramark and Panera Bread became the first major North American brands to announce that they are working with their suppliers to commit to healthier, slower-growing chickens.

Change for chickens

Right now, billions of chickens raised for global consumption live in in dark, barren sheds. Bred to grow so fast their bones and hearts can’t keep up, they suffer painful lameness, sores and other health problems.

We are challenging other major fast-food chains to follow Tim Hortons, Burger King and other industry-leaders to take a step forward in improve the lives of chickens in their supply chains.

“It’s the right thing for RBI, Tim Hortons and Burger King to do for chickens, for their customers and for themselves. We know that Canadians want responsibly sourced food. More than seventeen thousand Canadians have taken our Change for Chickens pledge and companies like Tim Hortons and Burger King have taken notice,” continues Kitson.

Learn more about our Change for Chickens campaign and how we’re working to improve the lives of billions of chickens suffering in industrial farms.

Take the next step and make a donation. Your support allows us to continue working with governments, retailers, suppliers and food chains, showing them how chickens living better lives benefits everyone, including a business' bottom line.