Sainsbury’s commits to chicken welfare standards improvements
Sainsbury’s is to improve the welfare of all its By Sainsbury’s fresh chicken across its core ranges by March next year.
The move means that customers will have access to chicken grown with more space to perch and move under welfare conditions that the supermarket says will be better than the UK standard.
Within the next 12 months, all fresh chicken that customers buy from Sainsbury’s will be grown at a reduced stocking density in bedded barns. The change also includes increased stimuli for chickens such as additional bales, as well as pecking objects and platforms for perching to give chickens the freedom to express more natural behaviours.
Sainsbury’s is working with poultry supplier Moy Park on the initiative which will ensure that all By Sainsbury’s fresh chicken will be from improved welfare standards with over 20% more space than the industry standard. Sainsbury’s will work with farmers to monitor animal behaviour as part of the programme.
The switch will be completed by March 2023.
Rhian Bartlett, Sainsbury’s food commercial director, said: “We care about animal health and welfare as much as our customers do and we are committed to offering our customers quality and value while ensuring high welfare standards. As part of our commitment to helping everyone eat better it’s important to us that we are helping our customers make healthy and sustainable choices, while maintaining great quality at affordable prices.”
