Fast food giants are failing chickens. Our rating system exposes just how badly they're failing
The Pecking Order
Despite making billions of pounds from chickens, these huge companies are doing very little to give them better lives
Despite making billions of pounds from chickens, these huge companies are doing very little to give them better lives
- 40 billion chickens live in overcrowded factory farms all around the world, often crammed into sheds with up to 10,000 other chickens
- On average most of them will have a space smaller than a piece of A4 paper to live in
- Many will spend most of their short lives suffering discomfort and pain caused by growing too fast
The Pecking Order assesses fast food giants against three criteria:
1. Policies
What policies does the company have about protecting chicken welfare?
2. Targets
When does the company say it will take action to improve chickens’ lives?
3. Reporting
How is the company reporting on its progress to improve chicken welfare?
Depending on their score for each category, we gave the company a grade from failing to very good. The full report is available at the bottom of the page.
See their scores
Click on the chickens below to see where these fast food giants land on our scale
Click on the chickens below to see where these fast food giants land on our scale
We’ve been fighting for better chicken welfare and holding these huge international companies to account
We’ve been fighting for better chicken welfare and holding these huge international companies to account
Find out more about our Change for Chickens campaign here
We chose to assess these companies for The Pecking Order because they’re the big players in the industry and have the power, and the responsibility, to improve the lives of millions of chickens every year.
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Fast food companies must change
To stop the inexcusable suffering of billions of chickens a year, these brands must:
- Give chickens space to move more freely, and stop using cages
- Use breeds which grow at a healthier, more natural rate
- Create enriched environments providing opportunities for chickens to behave more naturally
Chickens on an RSPCA assured farm - photo courtesy of the RSPCA
