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Fast food chains rank low in the Pecking Order

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The latest report from animal welfare group, World Animal Protection (WAP) has revealed some of the world’s largest franchised chains are scoring low on the Pecking Order.

The first ever international ranking on the welfare of chickens raised for meat, the Pecking Order 2018 report found that U.S. chains Burger King, KFC, Domino’s Inc, McDonald’s, Nando’s, Pizza Hut, Starbucks and Subway, as well as U.K. master franchise Domino’s Pizza Group returned concerning results.

Of the fast food chains assessed, four companies, McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut and Nando’s received a ‘very poor’ rating, while Domino’s Inc and Domino’s PLC both received a ‘failing grade’.

While the results were entirely concerned with chains operating in the U.S. and the U.K., for Australians outlets, the report calls into question why none of the businesses assessed employ a global policy on improving chicken welfare.

John Whittleton, WAP global campaign head suggested the lack of global policy indicated the companies aren’t taking the issue seriously.

“The scores are in and it’s not looking good for some of the world’s largest fast-food brands when it comes to chicken welfare,” Whittleton said.

“These iconic companies must respond to growing consumer concerns over chicken cruelty, using their immense power to improve the lives of hundreds of millions of animals. Using tools such as The Pecking Order, we will continue to put pressure on these companies to change for chickens.”

Based on information publicly available, the report covers three topics of assessment; interest, via policies (how a company values the welfare of chickens), Ambition, via objectives and targets (what commitments a company has made to improve chicken welfare) and transparency, via performance reporting (how clear a company is about achieving that commitment).

Transparency was identified as a major concern throughout the course of the report, with many companies providing little or no information on how they are performing with regard to chicken welfare.

“There is no excuse for the pain, fear and stress that a factory farmed chicken feels for much of their life. Major brands, including those featured in The Pecking Order, profit from this pain. They hold the power to turn this situation around and there is a growing consumer concern that they must do so,” Whittleton said.

“Chickens are at the very heart of their businesses and deserve the chance to live a happier, healthier life. That’s not too much to ask.”

The report was launched as part of the WAP’s Change for Chickens campaign, which advocates for global policy changes within the food industry that will result in stronger welfare conditions for chickens.