After signing up to the Better Chicken Commitment in May of 2020, Nando’s has now officially released a public communique, pledging to improve significantly on their chicken welfare standards, as well as environmental standards across the UK and Ireland.
Reducing the carbon footprint of their meals by a whopping 50% by 2030 is one of the main driving forces behind this commitment. They will demand all their suppliers to meet the following requirements for 100% of the chicken in its supply chain by 2026, including fresh, frozen and processed products:
- Comply with all EU animal welfare laws and regulations, regardless of the country of production
- Implement a maximum stocking density of 30kg/m2 or less
- Adopt breeds that demonstrate higher welfare outcomes
- Meet improved environmental standards including:
- At least 50 lux of light, including natural light
- At least two metres of usable perch space, and two pecking substrates, per 1,000 birds
- On air quality, the maximum requirements of Annex 2.3 of the EU broiler directive, regardless of stocking density
- No cages or multi-tier systems
- Adopt controlled atmospheric stunning using inert gas or multi-phase systems, or effective electrical stunning without live inversion
- Demonstrate compliance with the above standards via third-party auditing and annual public reporting on progress towards this commitment.
Additionally, Nando’s seeks to actively press suppliers and support the latest research projects to find urgent alternatives to electrical waterbath, and even supporting the ban of this method by 2026. It also intends to invest and adopt new stunning methods that avoid conscious inversion as soon as it is commercially available, while cooperating with its suppliers to reduce collectively their carbon footprint, in the hopes that by 2022, all UK restaurants will be using 100% renewable gas.
Colin Hill, CEO of Nando’s UK and Ireland said: “We are launching ambitious new commitments on top of our sustainability initiatives from 4 years ago, which will set a strong example that our industry can make a genuine difference.”
Nando’s will be a model for the rest, as Hill continued “With these targets, we will become the first in our industry to combine improvements in environmental sustainability with animal welfare.”
Compassion in World Farming Global Director of Food Business, Dr Tracey Jones had positive comments on the matter: “I am delighted to see such a popular brand like Nando’s, championing the move for better chicken welfare. It’s the right thing to do and the team at Nando’s are committed to getting the job done, especially at a time of great uncertainty, particularly in the food service sector, as the world deals with the effects of COVID-19.”
The full version of their public statement can be found here.
Source: https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/news/115189/nandos-commits-to-improve-chicken-welfare-standards-across-supply-chain/