BRUSSELS—Humane World for Animals Europe (formerly called Humane Society International Europe) has released The Pecking Order 2024, a new report that evaluates the chicken welfare policies and progress of major fast-food brands in Poland and Romania. The report highlights an urgent need for Poland's and Romania’s fast-food industry to accelerate its efforts to adopt higher welfare standards for chickens raised for meat—especially given growing consumer demand for more humane food production.
The report relies on the science-based criteria of the European Chicken Commitment agreed to by 38 animal welfare organizations worldwide. These criteria set minimum standards for addressing the most urgent welfare issues in the production of chickens kept and killed for meat, such as overcrowding, unhealthy breeding, cramped cages, barren environments and inhumane slaughter methods. So far, over 380 companies in Europe, including 27 in Poland and 13 in Romania, have committed to meeting the ECC criteria.
The fast-food companies were assessed based on publicly available chicken welfare policies and practices. In Poland, Domino’s, IKEA and Pizza Hut lead the rankings, while in Romania, PAUL, IKEA and Pizza Hut top the list. These companies have publicly stated chicken welfare policies that align with ECC standards. However, they still need to improve their substantive reporting on progress, timeline and specific steps they will take to show customers that they are improving chicken welfare in their supply chains.
In contrast, Subway, McDonald's and KFC in Poland, as well as Subway and KFC in Romania, lag behind with incomplete policies without deadlines or failing to address key welfare issues. Meanwhile, Burger King, Pasibus, Salad Story, Starbucks and Zahir Kebab in Poland, along with 5 to go, Burger King, Domino’s, McDonald's, Salad Box, Spartan, and Starbucks in Romania, received the lowest scores for not publishing an ECC commitment. Consequently, consumers may assume that these companies are not taking any action to address critical chicken welfare concerns.
"The fast-food industry in Poland and Romania has a responsibility to meet modern consumer expectations and set an example in chicken welfare improvements," said Elise Allart, corporate engagement director for Humane World for Animals Europe. "We welcome positive steps such as Domino’s Pizza Poland’s publication of an animal welfare policy, including chicken welfare commitments, and IKEA’s roadmap towards achieving broiler welfare goals. We encourage other companies to follow suit. We're ready and open to working with all companies to raise their levels of commitment in the coming years. By committing to higher standards, companies can play a pivotal role in creating a more humane and sustainable food system."
With over 6.4 billion chickens slaughtered annually in the EU—including 1.233 billion in Poland and 300.8 million in Romania —intensive farming practices continue to cause significant animal welfare issues. Chickens raised for meat are selectively bred to grow so rapidly that they commonly suffer from leg disorders and difficulty walking. The ECC promotes the use of slower-growing breeds, breeds that have better walking ability, improved immunity, are more robust, and require fewer antibiotics. Giving each bird more space by requiring lower stocking densities further supports better animal welfare, helping to reduce antibiotic use and combat the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Polish and Romanian consumers are increasingly aware of humane concerns and are willing to support higher welfare practices. Research highlighted in The Pecking Order report shows that:
- In Poland, 44% of consumers are willing to pay up to 20% more for higher animal welfare products; while in Romania, 80% of consumers are willing to pay up to 10% more for such products.
- Retail sales of free-range and organic chicken meat in Poland and Romania grew by 13.9% between 2018 and 2022.
- 80% of Polish and 69% of Romanian people want better protection for farmed animals.
The Pecking Order report urges fast-food companies to take concrete steps to improve chicken welfare by adopting ECC standards and creating clear road maps to achieve their goals. It also highlights the need for stronger collaboration between fast-food chains and chicken producers to implement a transition to higher welfare farming models. Producers need dedicated buyers to justify investments in higher welfare, while fast-food chains rely on these producers for a steady supply of higher-welfare chicken.
In addition to corporate action, lawmakers are critical to driving the transition to higher welfare for chickens. Legislators can protect animal welfare through policy development and enforcement while keeping the industry competitive in national and European markets.
Facts
- The 2024 European edition of The Pecking Order is a project by World Animal Protection, together with Humane World for Animals, the Albert Schweitzer Stiftung, L214, Essere Animali and Obranci Zvirat. A total of 75 companies were assessed covering the markets of Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania and Spain.
- The Pecking Order has assessed fast-food brands since 2019. In 2024, the report examined seven European markets, and Poland and Romania were included for the second time.
- Chicken welfare management across countries varies. German and French fast-food companies have the highest average overall scores in the assessed countries, demonstrating more commitments and implementation. Polish and Romanian food chains have the lowest scores, indicating a need for more attention to chicken welfare.
