In the first months of this year, we were able to welcome four more companies to the European Chicken Commitment:
The two large catering companies, Klüh and SV Group announced, in March and January respectively, that they would be raising their standards for chickens raised for meat, so called broiler chickens. Following dialogues with us, both have committed themselves to only using meat from chickens that have been reared and slaughtered in accordance with the commitment’s criteria by 2026 at the latest. As major players in the catering industry, the two companies are role models and show that successful companies must also position themselves conscientiously with regard to animal welfare. With Klüh and SV Group, nine of the ten largest catering companies in Germany have now joined the European Chicken Commitment.
The food producer Rügenwalder Mühle, which is also promoting plant-based alternatives, joined the commitment in April. The company’s suppliers must now implement the commitment’s animal welfare standards by 2026. »We are pleased to be able to establish further measures to improve animal welfare«, says Thomas Spille, Director of Procurement at Rügenwalder Mühle. In 2018, the company had an annual turnover of 212 million Euros.
Also in April, we received the commitment of the »healthy, fast casual« franchise Dean & David. It applies to 100% of their chicken meat purchased for the European market. The company, which was founded in Munich in 2007 and has more than 130 stores all across Germany, is thus strengthening its commitment to promote more sustainable food consumption.
In total, around 300 companies worldwide have already committed themselves to raising their animal welfare standards according to the European Chicken Commitment. These include Nestlé, Unilever and Dr. Oetker, top caterers such as Sodexo and the Compass Group, but also Ikea and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Find out more about the European Chicken Commitment here.