The sustainability and health-related challenges linked to large-scale poultry production are substantial. In many countries, high levels of antibiotics are still used, contributing to the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance. Industrial poultry farming also raises animal welfare concerns, as things we, and the public, associate with good animal welfare, such as slower-growing breeds and access to outdoor areas, can be difficult to achieve at industrial scale.

We want the chicken we sell to come from countries with lower antibiotic use, have had access to an outdoor area, and to meet the animal welfare criteria of the European Chicken Commitment. Unfortunately, finding alternatives that meet these conditions is difficult, and the options are still limited.

This makes chicken sourcing one of the biggest challenges in our work with the Supplier Code of Conduct. It is not something we can solve alone, the whole industry needs to change, and we need others to collaborate with us to make that happen.