The US Working Group for Broiler Welfare

In 2021, the US Working Group for Broiler Welfare (Working Group) was formed to provide an opportunity for industry leaders to collaboratively approach, in a pre-competitive manner, how to improve broiler chicken welfare through the lens of the Better Chicken Commitment. Facilitated by Compassion in World Farming and Blue House Sustainability Consulting, the Working Group has grown from the original group of 7 companies to now include 19 companies committed to shifting the industry forward to align with higher welfare standards.

The Working Group meets regularly to explore practical strategies and creative solutions that will enable progress toward BCC commitments, shifting broiler chicken supply chains in a way that meaningfully improves welfare. The efforts and learnings of this group will create positive momentum and motivate widespread progress among the industry leaders in alignment with the Better Chicken Commitment.

Membership Standards

Beginning in 2023, all members of the US Working Group for Broiler Welfare must meet the following standards:

Publicly commit to the Better Chicken Commitment prior to joining, which includes all criteria in either version 1 or version 2 of the North American BCC.
Draft a roadmap within six months for Compassion in World Farming to review
Publish a public roadmap within 12 months of joining the Working Group that details an implementation plan with clear, informed milestones and demonstrates meaningful annual progress for all BCC tenets until 100% compliant
Attend quarterly Working Group meetings
Attend quarterly meetings with a member of Compassion’s Food Business Team
Annual public reporting that demonstrates meaningful progress towards implementation of the BCC tenets
Publicly report each year by Jan 31 to be featured in end-of-quarter ChickenTrack Report

Current Working Group members have until the end of 2023, to meet the expected membership standards listed above.

Out of the 19 Working Group member companies, 13 are reporting progress toward BCC compliance. Their progress is featured in our latest ChickenTrack report.

See the report

Working Group Member Companies

In recognition of the collaboration needed to improve broiler chicken welfare, 19 leading food and restaurant companies – Applegate, Aramark, Bon Appetit, Compass Group, Delaware North, Earth Animal, Giant Eagle, HelloFresh US, Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon, Natural Grocers, Nestlé USA, Panera Bread, Pret A Manger, Shake Shack, Sodexo, Southwest Foodservice Excellence, Sprouts Farmers Market, Target, and Whole Foods – have come together to form the US Working Group for Broiler Welfare.

Testimonials

As a global leader in the hospitality and entertainment industry, Delaware North is committed to sustainability and responsible sourcing. We are pleased to join the Working Group and look forward to benefitting from its expertise, as well as contributing to this important collaboration between business and non-profit participants to improve animal welfare.

Deb Friedel, Director of Sustainability, Delaware North

Testimonials

Natural Grocers is thrilled to join the US Working Group for Broiler Welfare and we look forward to creating solutions that support healthy birds, thriving farms as well as invigorated rural economies and communities.

Christie Zimmerman, Product Standards Manager - Food, Natural Grocers

Testimonials

Bringing restaurant leaders together in the Working Group helps us collaborate and innovate across all parts of this important transition—from impacts on farmers to measurement of animal care. These discussions help us as we continually strive to provide responsibly raised proteins.

Sara Burnett, VP of Food Values, Sustainability and Public Affairs, Panera Bread

Testimonials

I am thrilled to be a part of the Working Group as we push to improve broiler chicken welfare across the industry. Shake Shack’s focus on premium ingredients, thoughtful sourcing, and animal welfare has always been core to who we are. We appreciate the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with our peers to better understand barriers and potential solutions for accelerating improvements more broadly.

Jeffrey Amoscato, SVP Supply Chain & Menu Innovation, Shake Shack

Testimonials

As this Working Group aligns with Sodexo’s global animal welfare position, we embrace the opportunity to work collectively to improve broiler chicken welfare and foster better engagement with the industry as a whole.

Judy Panayos, Senior Director Sustainability, Supply Management, Sodexo

Testimonials

At Whole Foods Market, we’ve long maintained rigorous Quality Standards across our Meat Department and take the issue of broiler chicken welfare seriously. We sincerely appreciate the important work of Compassion in World Farming and we’re excited to join the Working Group to share what we’ve learned about raising the bar for broiler welfare and to join with others in pushing for systemic change.

Karen Christensen, SVP of Merchandising for Perishables, Whole Foods Market

Purpose

Facilitated by Compassion and Blue House Sustainability Consulting, the Working Group aims to support members in exploring workable strategies and creative solutions for transitioning supply chains through the lens of the Better Chicken Commitment, which outlines baseline standards for the following key welfare components:

Breed selection
Space allocation
Environmental enrichments
Slaughter method
Third-party auditing

Over 230 US brands have committed to improving welfare standards in alignment with the Better Chicken Commitment. The learnings from this Working Group will be a resource for these companies, enabling them to progress towards their commitments to meaningfully improve the welfare of the broiler chickens in their supply chains.

Blue House Sustainability Consulting is led by Mindy Gomes Casseres, an expert with more than 20 years of experience in helping global Fortune 500 companies craft leading sustainability strategies and communications.