Breed
Modern chickens are bred to grow so large, so quickly that their legs and organs cannot keep up. Heart attacks, organ failure, and crippling leg deformities are a common result. Many birds die from not being able to reach their food or water.
Nominated for the worst in animal welfare
Animal Equality has launched a campaign targeting meal kit service companies Gobble, Yumble, and Home Chef for their lack of a public commitment to higher animal welfare in their chicken supply chains.
The companies have all either refused to disclose any chicken welfare policy they adhere to or whose standards do not match up with what their customers would expect. Without concrete policies, we are concerned that these companies may be misleading consumers into purchasing their meal kits when they otherwise might have sought a more humane alternative.
A commitment from these companies could significantly improve the lives of millions of chickens.
Dane Charbeneau,
Campaigns Manager
Sign the petitions and cast your vote!
We are calling on company executives to take animal welfare seriously by making a public commitment to higher animal protection standards that would reduce the suffering of potentially millions of chickens killed for their menu items.
Simplicity is Home Chef’s mantra. But is there anything simple about the way chickens raised for Home Chef meals are raised?
Gobble says with their meals you can make dinner in 15 minutes. But quick doesn’t have to mean cruel.
Yumble meals are designed for kids. But would kids enjoy the meals if they knew how poorly the animals are treated?
OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, MORE THAN 200 BRANDS HAVE RESPONDED TO CONSUMER CONCERNS AND MADE COMMITMENTS TO IMPROVE CHICKEN WELFARE
Today, it is clear that the majority of consumers see animal welfare as a major factor in their decision-making process when it comes to what they eat. This trend has driven hundreds of companies to publicly commit to higher welfare practices in their supply chains.
These commitments include a set of welfare standards deemed the Better Chicken Commitment, which have been adopted by top companies such as Burger King, Subway, and Nestlé. Blue Apron, HelloFresh, and Sun Basket are just a few of the meal kit companies that have committed to higher chicken welfare.
As long as these companies below keep consumers in the dark about how the chickens they source are treated, we will continue to expose their misleading claims. Join us in calling on them to add the Better Chicken Commitment to their welfare standards. Their customers—and the millions of chickens trapped in their supply chains—deserve better.
Housing
As standard industry practice, chickens are forced to live in a completely barren environment. Because there is no set standard for cleaning the substrate on which they live, ammonia from the urine and feces covers the floor and causes burns on the chickens’ bellies and feet. They are subjected to near-constant, low-intensity artificial lighting with short periods of continuous darkness and virtually no stimulating resources or ability to perform natural behaviors such as nesting, perching, and foraging.
Space
Most chickens spend their entire lives packed in sheds with tens of thousands of other birds. Such poor stocking density leads to numerous welfare issues, especially when coupled with low cleanliness standards. When chickens are crammed so tightly together, mobility is decreased because birds have inadequate room to move and the litter becomes soiled very quickly.
Slaughter
The birds who survive the terrible conditions at the farm are shipped to the slaughterhouse where they endure a horrifying death. Workers shackle the terrified birds upside down by their legs, and because the slaughter process moves so quickly, many birds aren’t properly stunned. This means that they’re often conscious when their throats are slit and are scalded to death when they reach the scalding tanks.
*Please Note: The companies listed herein either do not have chicken welfare standards that meet the Better Chicken Commitment or have refused to inform us of their policies. Some companies on this list may have chicken welfare policies that they have not communicated to Animal Equality.