Chicken Welfare:
Done The Right Way
At KFC, we're proud of our chicken.
We take pride in the exceptional quality of the food we serve. It’s what the Colonel stood for and what our customers expect. Our commitment to quality includes:
Chickens that are healthy and well cared for
Farmers who adhere to recognized welfare standards
Supply chains that are sustainable and secure
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2020
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At KFC, We Love Our Chicken.
We share that love with customers across the world, and we’re committed to providing you with food that is safe, free from cruelty and raised humanely.
We’re Up For The Challenge.
All throughout our supply chain, we’re working to tackle worthy and complex challenges like food security, food safety and sustainability.
At KFC, we're proud of our chicken.
Driven by Science and Data
Guided by Care and Compassion
Focused on Sustainability and Security
Our Four Key Pillars
The quality of our food starts with chickens that are well cared for. We’re committed to ensuring the chickens we source are raised humanely and sustainably.
That commitment starts with Five Freedoms, guiding our overall approach to chicken welfare:
- Freedom from hunger or thirst by providing ready access to fresh water and a healthy diet.
- Freedom from discomfort by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
- Freedom from pain, injury, or disease by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
- Freedom to express normal behavior by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind.
- Freedom from fear and distress by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid stress.
We work closely with our suppliers to encourage best practices: proper ventilation, light and space requirements, all based on the latest scientific research.
Cage-Free Egg Commitment
- KFC pledges to transition to 100% cage-free eggs by 2030.
- And we’ve already started! KFC’s Western Europe market has already transitioned to 100% cage-free eggs across all restaurants.
Our steadfast commitment to animal health and well-being is guided by our science-based Sustainable Animal Protein Principles. Healthy chickens mean quality food for our customers.
Antimicrobial Use
- Emphasizing effective animal husbandry practices, KFC works with suppliers to alternate interventions that reduce risks to animal health.
- As part of Yum! Brands, KFC adheres to Yum’s global position on antimicrobial stewardship and judicious use of antibiotics. We seek to optimize therapeutic efficacy while minimizing resistance to antimicrobials. Read more about our progress here.
Key Welfare Indicators (KWIs)
In 2020, our KFC restaurants around the globe adopted new chicken key welfare indicators (KWIs). These KWIs serve as our foundation for animal welfare metrics, addressing:
- Mobility while chickens are raised
- Overall chicken health
- Minimization of medical interventions
- Chicken mortality
- Mental & physical stress
New technologies and innovative solutions are key to assuring the chickens we source are raised sustainably and that our food supply is secure.
Leading and Learning: KFC’s Market-Based Approach
How chickens are raised can vary widely in different markets around the world. At KFC, we understand this reality.
Our goal is to drive progress in every market in which we operate. Our global footprint means global perspective.
We’re able to incorporate key learnings from markets that are further ahead across our entire global supply chain, pushing everyone ahead — we all benefit.
Plant-Based Foods
We are expanding the availability of plant-based menu items to offer delicious options to our vegan and vegetarian guests.
We’re committed to following and supporting innovative research that provides new solutions and technologies in the way we raise chickens for food.
At KFC, we hold ourselves accountable. We’re committed to measuring our progress and reporting transparently on the work we do to ensure the chickens we source are raised humanely and sustainably.
Reporting our Progress
Each year, KFC releases a number of reports across our markets:
Working with Experts
At KFC, we work with experts from across the industry to ensure we’re adhering to globally recognized standards.
- Poultry Advisory Council actively meets on a quarterly basis with U.S. suppliers to discuss industry topics and challenges, set priorities and establish a regular cadence of reporting metrics related to chicken welfare.