TORONTO — World Animal Protection released its third-annual global assessment investigating the welfare of chickens raised for their meat and supplied to the world’s largest fast-food chains, including KFC, McDonald’s and Burger King.
The report, The Pecking Order 2021, ranks these fast-food restaurants globally on how they’re performing on their commitment, ambition and transparency on chicken welfare in their supply chains.
In addition, 14 local rankings have been created. The brands assessed are Burger King, Domino’s, KFC, McDonald’s, Nando’s, Pizza Hut, Starbucks and Subway. They’re ranked in tiers, with tier one being the highest and tier six the lowest.
According to the report, Burger King received the best score of 54 per cent or tier three, and McDonald’s received 43 per cent, also a tier three. KFC and Pizza Hut both scored poorly with six per cent or tier six. Starbucks, Subway and Domino’s received zero points for their Canadian policies.
“It’s disappointing that Nando’s, KFC and Pizza Hut scored so poorly in Canada given that these companies have signed up to the BCC in other markets globally,” says Lynn Kavanagh, farming campaign manager for World Animal Protection. “And while it’s great to see KFC Canada offer a plant-based option now, they’re still denying millions of birds the chance to see natural light, to have more space to move around or to grow at a healthy rate. Chickens are intelligent, social animals and they deserve better lives.”
In Canada, World Animal Protection has been trying to contact KFC Canada for about two years, but the company hasn’t responded to requests for a meeting. The charity has started a petition targeting KFC and, so far, 9,500 Canadians have signed.
However, KFC in Europe is doing much better, achieving tier-one positions in the following local rankings: Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and the U.K.
World Animal Protection will continue to monitor the progress of major fast-food brands in the coming years.
