Anima: Danes do not know what they are getting when they buy chicken

8/24/2026

Animal welfare organization Anima is now launching a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of the serious welfare issues caused by extreme breeding in Danish farms. A new YouGov survey shows that 45% of Danes are unsure what a turbo chicken is. This is despite the fact that this type of chicken makes up the majority of the over 100 million slaughter chickens produced in Denmark each year. Therefore, Anima is now launching a nationwide campaign to highlight the serious welfare problems caused by extreme breeding and to put pressure on supermarkets to phase out turbo chickens, according to a press release from Anima. When supermarkets are criticized for selling turbo chickens, the common response is often that it is the customers who decide what is in the refrigerated section. This explanation is now challenged by a new survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of Anima. The survey shows that 25% of respondents do not know what a turbo chicken is, while an additional 20% have heard the term but are unsure of its meaning. “It’s easy to say that customers decide. But you cannot make an informed choice about something you don’t know what it is. When 45% of Danes are unsure what a turbo chicken is, it shows that there is a need for more knowledge about the reality behind this cheap meat,” says Emma-Maria Petersen, campaign manager at Anima. A chicken without a label According to Anima, a turbo chicken is a fast-growing chicken bred to grow so quickly that it has serious consequences for the animals’ welfare. For example, three out of four have trouble walking normally, and the rapid growth increases the risk of organ failure, heart attacks, and paralysis. They also live in less space than cage hens. Nevertheless, turbo chickens are still often sold in Danish supermarkets without any packaging information indicating that they are this type of chicken. “We want to increase awareness of what a turbo chicken is and what extreme breeding means for the animals. But it is not reasonable to expect individual customers to be experts in how all animals in the supermarket are raised,” says Emma-Maria Petersen. Anima believes that supermarkets should set a minimum standard for animal welfare so that the responsibility is not left to individual customers. “They have already shown they can do this by phasing out cage eggs. Now they should do the same for chickens,” says Emma-Maria Petersen.

Animal Welfare Organization Anima is now launching a new nationwide campaign to highlight the serious welfare issues caused by extreme breeding in Danish farms.

A new YouGov survey shows that 45 percent of Danes are unsure what a turbo chicken is. This is despite the fact that this type of chicken makes up the majority of the over 100 million broiler chickens produced in Denmark each year.

Therefore, Anima is now launching a nationwide campaign to focus on the serious welfare problems caused by extreme breeding and to put pressure on supermarkets to phase out turbo chickens, writes Anima in a press release.

When supermarkets are met with criticism for selling turbo chickens, the response is often that it is the customers who decide what is in the refrigerated section. That explanation is now being challenged by a new survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of Anima.

The survey shows that 25 percent of those questioned do not know what a turbo chicken is, while an additional 20 percent have heard the term but are unsure of what it means.

“It’s easy to say that customers decide. But you cannot make an informed choice about something you don’t know what it is. When 45 percent of Danes are unsure what a turbo chicken is, it shows that there is a need for more knowledge about the reality behind this cheap meat,” says Emma-Maria Petersen, campaign manager at Anima.

A chicken without a label

According to Anima, a turbo chicken is a fast-growing chicken bred to grow so quickly that it has serious consequences for the animals’ welfare. For example, three out of four problems with walking normally t, and the rapid growth increases the risk of organ failure, cardiac arrest, and paralysis. They also live in less space than cage hens.

Nevertheless, turbo chickens are still sold in Danish supermarkets often without any information on the packaging informing customers that it is this particular type of chicken.

“We want to increase awareness of what a turbo chicken is and what extreme breeding means for the animals. But it is not reasonable to expect individual customers to be experts on how all animals in the supermarket are raised,” says Emma-Maria Petersen.

Anima believes that supermarkets should set a minimum standard for animal welfare so that the responsibility is not left to the individual customer.

"They have already shown they can do this by phasing out cage eggs. Now they should do the same for chickens,” says Emma-Maria Petersen.