Major US companies have failed to follow through on their pledges to improve the treatment of chickens as a self-imposed deadline looms, according to nonprofit watchdog Mercy for Animals.
(Bloomberg) — Major US companies have failed to follow through on their pledges to improve the treatment of chickens as a self-imposed deadline looms, according to nonprofit watchdog Mercy for Animals.
More than 200 companies in North America have adopted the Better Chicken Commitment to improve treatment of the birds in the supply chain since 2016, according to the group. Many companies set goals between 2024 and 2026.
According to Mercy for Animal’s latest Count Your Chickens report, 34 brands including Starbucks Corp., TGI Friday’s Inc., and Le Pain Quotidien either withdrew their support or stopped reporting their progress. And after supply-chain issues with eggs and chickens resulting from avian flu, more than half of signatories are lagging in their commitment to consumers. AJ Albrecht, managing director of US and Canada for Mercy For Animals, said companies can still recover.
“Just simply publishing something on their website confirming that they are still intending to uphold this promise to consumers would go a long way,” Albrecht said.
TGI Friday’s and Le Pain Quotidien didn’t respond to requests for comment regarding their supplier’s treatment of chickens.
Starbucks said it’s “actively reviewing” its commitment in order to “identify the best path forward.”
“Over the next year, we will be setting baseline targets for implementation,” the company said in a statement.
Meanwhile, 30 brands made substantial progress toward their goals, according to the Mercy for Animals’ report. Sprouts Farmers Market Inc., Sweetgreen Inc. and Blue Apron Inc. are among the companies that got top marks for steps such as reporting their progress and mapping a strategy to fulfilling their commitments.
“We hope that these companies take this seriously, that they realize that when they make commitments like this, we expect them to uphold them,” Albrecht said.
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