Fast food giants are failing chickens. Our rating system exposes just how badly they're failing
The Pecking Order
Despite making billions of dollars from chickens, these huge companies are doing very little to give them better lives
Despite making billions of dollars from chickens, these huge companies are doing very little to give them better lives
- 40 billion chickens are subjected to overcrowded factory farms every year
- Many will have a space smaller than a piece of paper to live in, in barns crammed with up to 10,000 chickens
- They will spend most of their lives sitting or lying in their own waste
The Pecking Order assesses fast food giants against three criteria:
1. Policies
What policies does the company have about protecting chicken welfare?
2. Targets
When does the company say it will take action to improve chickens’ lives?
3. Reporting
How is the company reporting on its progress to improve chicken welfare?
Depending on their score for each category, we gave the company a grade from failing to very good. The full report is available at the bottom of the page.
See their scores
Click on the chickens below to see where these fast food giants land on our scale
Click on the chickens below to see where these fast food giants land on our scale
We’ve been fighting for better chicken welfare and holding these huge international companies accountable
We’ve been fighting for better chicken welfare and holding these huge international companies accountable
Find out more about our Change for Chickens campaign here
We chose to assess these companies for The Pecking Order because they’re the big players in the industry and have the power, and the responsibility, to improve the lives of millions of chickens every year.
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Fast food companies must change
“It is deeply disappointing that not one company that relies on chickens for profits received a grade above poor for animal welfare. Of the ten billion animals raised and killed for food every year in the United States, 90 percent are chickens, and these companies have the ability to have a major impact on the living conditions of these animals. The findings of the inaugural Pecking Order report leave much room for improvement. The companies ranked, including seven US-based brands, have a responsibility to consumers and the animals in their care to give these chickens a better life.” - Alesia Soltanpanah, Executive Director, World Animal Protection US
To stop the inexcusable suffering of billions of chickens a year, these brands must:
- Give chickens the freedom to move, and stop using cages
- Use breeds which grow at a healthier, more natural rate
- Create meaningful environments with the opportunity for chickens to behave naturally
Chickens on an RSPCA assured farm - photo courtesy of the RSPCA
