Food Business Program

ChickenTrack

THE CHICKEN WELFARE PROGRESS REPORT

Chickens raised for meat, also known as broiler chickens, make up approximately 95% of the farm animals in our food system—over 9.5 billion are raised and slaughtered each year in the US.

The vast majority of them experience significant welfare issues due to breeding for fast growth, high stocking densities, barren environments that do not allow for the expression of natural behaviors, and stunning systems that require live handling and shackling. The need for meaningful improvements has never been greater.

The good news is that the market is currently undergoing a monumental shift toward meaningful changes that will drastically improve chickens’ lives. To date, over 230 companies across multiple sectors have committed to fully transition to higher welfare systems. In response to their customers, producers are stepping up to meet the demand for healthier genetics, more space, enriched living conditions, and more.

This is where Compassion in World Farming plays a crucial role. Our progress-tracking tool, ChickenTrack, is designed to help companies navigate this massive market shift. The purpose of ChickenTrack is to:

Ensure that food businesses can and will stick to their commitments to improve broiler chicken welfare across 100% of their supply chains;
Provide assistance to food businesses during their transition to a higher welfare chicken supply; and
Encourage transparency in the marketplace.

ChickenTrack 2023

This year marks the fifth annual US ChickenTrack report. In this year’s ChickenTrack, it is clear that 2023 was a year of progress for broiler chicken welfare. 52 U.S. companies—ranging from suppliers, retailers, restaurants, and meal kits, publicly reported progress toward the Better Chicken Commitment. This year’s report highlights progress for every reporting company, along with key U.S. industry trends, including:

companies reporting progress	of US Working Group for Broiler Welfare members reporting progress this year
of companies committed to improving broiler welfare are reporting	US chicken producers committed to and reporting progress toward the Better Chicken Commitment
increase in the number of companies reporting since the last ChickenTrack	Better Chicken Commitment roadmaps published since the last Chicken Track, an increase of 240%.
companies have made progress across all tenets of the Better Chicken Commitment, including breed.	companies have achieved 100% compliance with the Better Chicken Commitment.

Compassion in World Farming will continue to encourage more companies to roadmap their transition to a higher welfare broiler supply, provide them with critical resources to support that work, and encourage them to report transparently on progress. This year’s ChickenTrack report, as well as a selection of Compassion in World Farming’s technical resources, can be found below.

Download the report