Do you know the Better Chicken Commitment? (Poultry Specialist)

(Editor’s note: Jennifer Timmons is an assistant professor at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.)

The Better Chicken Commitment is a policy adopted by several food service and food retailer companies to require their chicken suppliers to implement certain management and processing practices.
The Better Chicken Commitment was developed in 2019 by a coalition of animal advocacy groups (such as the ASPCA and Humane Society of the United States) aligned to develop a set of criteria focusing on animal welfare.
There are two options of the Better Chicken Commitment that U.S. food companies can adopt.
The first option requires their chicken suppliers to source chicken certified by Global Animal Partnership and requires all chickens to be processed utilizing controlled atmosphere stunning methods.
Currently most chicken processors utilize electrical water bath stunning.
The deadline for food companies to meet this policy requirement is 2024.
The second option includes four criteria for chicken suppliers to implement by 2024, and one criteria to be implemented by 2026.
The first criteria requires a maximum stocking density of six pounds per square foot.
This differs from the National Chicken Council Animal Welfare guidelines, which take into account bird number and bird mass in the floor area.
The National Chicken Council recommends the following stocking density: 6.5 pounds per square foot if the bird market weight is below 4.5 pounds; 7.5 pounds per square foot if the bird market weight is between 4.5 and 5.5 pounds; 8.5 pounds per square foot if the bird market weight is between 5.6 and 7.5 pounds and 9 pounds per square foot if the market weight is more than 7.5 pounds.
The second criteria is to provide birds with enriched environments including litter, lighting and enrichment that meets Global Animal Partnership’s standards.
The explanation of these standards are found on Global Animal Partnership’s website.
The third criteria requires chicken suppliers to use controlled atmosphere stunning prior to exsanguination, and the fourth requirement is compliance with these standards through a third party auditor.
The fifth requirement of this second option is chicken suppliers must use breeds that “demonstrate higher welfare outcomes.”
There are 16 breeds listed in this criteria.
These breeds are considered slow growing breeds compared to breeds of broilers normally raised in the United States.
A 2021 article published in the Journal of Poultry Science investigated the production parameters of slow and moderate growing broiler chickens compared to conventional broilers.
At 48 days of age, the conventional broiler chickens were heavier and had lower feed conversion ratios compared to the slower growing broiler strains.
It was also reported that the flock mortality was not different between the broiler strains investigated. In this same study, various welfare aspects were measured.
These results are expected to be published later this year.
More than 200 food companies have adopted versions of the Better Chicken Commitment.
Some of these companies include Popeyes, Saladworks, Denny’s, Kraft-Heinz, Nestlé, and General Mills. It is likely that this policy will affect chicken growers, chicken processors, and consumers.
It is important to continue to follow this policy, and to be actively engaged so informed management decisions can be made in response to these impacts.