Such is the enthusiasm for chicken that the amount being consumed has nearly doubled in the past thirty years. It is more widely eaten than beef, and billions of birds are reared for their eggs and meat. There are thirty chickens for every ten people on the planet, and farmed poultry comprises 70 per cent of all birds on Earth.
But the environmental reality behind our insatiable appetite for chicken is sobering. It accounts for 8 per cent of the livestock sector’s total emissions. Producing the soy to feed these billions of birds has led to forest clearance. And that pushes wildlife into extinction and accelerates climate change.
Animal welfare is also a major issue: conditions for most birds farmed in the UK are overcrowded and uncomfortable. This is an emotive issue. Consumer research conducted for this report found:
- More than 80 per cent of the UK public care actively about both farm animal welfare and climate change
- One third want higher welfare chicken when they eat out
- Over a quarter think restaurants have a responsibility to make chickens’ lives happier
ndustry insiders interviewed for this research agree – often passionately – that meat and eggs served in hospitality and foodservice should come from chickens who have a happy life, free from suffering – but that achieving this is an industry-wide challenge that they have neither the agency nor the market share to achieve on their own.
The producers, wholesalers, hospitality and foodservice operators, industry bodies and NGOs consulted also agree that it is vital to reduce the climate impact of chicken, but that facilitating such a transition is hugely challenging.
The situation appears complicated. Convoluted supply chains prevent operators from alerting producers of their desire to buy higher welfare products. And there is a common perception that higher welfare has a higher carbon impact..
But our research suggests better chicken equals better business. It provides hope that hospitality can supply higher welfare chicken and eggs, yet still meet carbon targets, keep costs down and satisfy customers.
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