Market leader scrapes the bottom in new ranking of chicken welfare
Økologisk NuChicken welfare is improving in Danish supermarket chains, judging by the share of fast-growing chickens. The fast-growing chicken breed, which is prone to severe mobility problems and organ failure, now accounts for a smaller share of the chickens sold in Danish retail than it did in 2022. That is the conclusion of a new study conducted by the animal welfare organization Anima. Instead, the chains have begun switching to slower-growing breeds, which now account for 40–45 percent of sales. “It is positive that almost half of the chickens in the refrigerated display cases are now slower-growing. This shows that change is possible when supermarket chains make it a priority. But if we are to improve animal welfare across the board, all supermarkets need to take responsibility and speed up the process,” says Thorbjørn Schiønning, head of communications at Anima, in a press release. Rema 1000, which ranked second to last in 2022, now tops the list. This is because 85 percent of the chain’s total chicken sales are now free of fast-growing chickens. Nemlig.com ranks second after also accelerating the phase-out, bringing its share of slower-growing chickens to around 80 percent. Salling Group at the bottom Denmark’s largest retail group, Salling Group, which operates the Netto, Føtex and Bilka supermarket chains, comes last. Nearly two out of three chickens sold are still fast-growing chickens. The group’s position is also weakened by its failure to fulfill its promise to phase out fresh fast-growing chickens by 2025. That deadline has been postponed until 2028. Salling Group told Anima that in 2025 it increased the visibility of slower-growing chickens in campaigns and promotional leaflets and began providing more information about chicken welfare in its stores. According to the group, there were several reasons why the goal of phasing out fast-growing chickens was not met: a limited supply of slower-growing chickens, disease outbreaks, rising beef prices, which have increased overall demand for chicken, and consumers’ increased focus on price at the expense of higher animal welfare standards. The study covers six of Denmark’s largest retailers: Salling Group, Coop, Rema 1000, Dagrofa, Lidl and Nemlig.com. The report’s conclusions are based on data provided directly by the supermarket chains through a questionnaire sent out by Anima, as well as Anima’s ongoing dialogue with the industry, publicly available information and physical spot checks in stores. All the chains were given the opportunity to comment on and supplement the assessments before the report was published. Read the full report here: kyllingevelfærd.dk.
Chicken welfare is improving in Danish supermarket chains, when looking at the proportion of turbo chickens.
The fast-growing chicken breed with pronounced mobility problems and a risk of organ failure now accounts for a smaller share of the chickens sold in Danish retail than in 2022.
This is shown by a new study conducted by the animal protection organisation Anima. Instead, the chains have begun switching to slower-growing breeds, which now account for 40-45 pct. of sales.
”It is positive that almost half of the chickens in the refrigerated section are now slower-growing. This shows that change is possible when supermarket chains prioritise it. But if we are to improve animal welfare across the board, all supermarkets need to take responsibility and pick up the pace,” says Thorbjørn Schiønning, communications manager at Anima, in a press release.
Rema 1000, which ranked second-to-last in 2022, now tops the list. This is because as much as 85 pct. of the chain’s total chicken sales are now free from turbo chickens. Nemlig.com is in second place, after the online retailer has likewise accelerated the phase-out, bringing its share of slower-growing chickens up to around 80 pct.
Salling Group at the bottom
Denmark’s largest retail group, Salling Group, with the supermarket chains Netto, Føtex and Bilka, ends up last, as almost two out of three chickens sold are still turbo chickens. It also brings the group down that it failed to fulfil its promise to phase out fresh turbo chicken by 2025 at the latest. That deadline has been postponed until 2028.
Salling Group highlights to Anima that in 2025 the chain increased the visibility of slower-growing chickens in campaigns and promotional leaflets and has begun providing more information about chicken welfare in its stores.
According to the group, there were several reasons why the goal of phasing out turbo chickens was not achieved: limited supply of slower-growing chickens, disease outbreaks, rising beef prices, which have increased demand for chickens in general, and greater price focus among consumers at the expense of higher animal welfare.
The study covers six of Denmark’s largest retail operators: Salling Group, Coop, Rema 1000, Dagrofa, Lidl and Nemlig.com.
The report’s conclusions are based on data provided directly by the supermarket chains through a questionnaire distributed by Anima, as well as Anima’s ongoing dialogue with the industry, publicly available information and physical spot checks in stores. All the chains had the opportunity to comment on and supplement the assessments before the report’s publication.
Read the full report here: kyllingevelfærd.dk.