The Price of a Slice: Animal Cruelty in the Pizza Sector
American consumers have grown more and more concerned about the treatment of animals raised for food
They also feel that chickens are farmed in the worst conditions of any animal. That’s why more than 200 food companies have committed to a new chicken welfare policy that eliminates the cruelest factory farming practices from their supply chains.
America’s beloved pizza sector was fortunate to see a dramatic increase in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, not all pizza chains have paid that fortune forward to improve the welfare of the chickens in their supply chains. This report highlights the pizza restaurants that are making the least and most progress on chicken welfare.
Companies with Failing Animal Welfare Standards
Crowded by the tens of thousands into sheds with no room to move around. Standing in their own waste because their sheds are almost never cleaned during their lifetime. Bred to grow so heavy, at such a rapid rate, that many can’t even stand up. Killed using a brutal system called “live-shackle slaughter,” leaving half a million chickens boiled alive each year.
These pizza restaurants allow this to go on every day. They have refused to ban these practices from their supply chains, and they have never released a public statement about their standards for chicken welfare.
Leading The Pack
On the other hand, these pizza restaurants have adopted the Better Chicken Commitment: a set of minimum standards for chicken welfare that address the most severe abuses that chickens face in the US. Farms that meet the Better Chicken Commitment use breeds of chickens that grow at a more natural rate. This prevents the leg deformities, diseases, organ failure, and death associated with fast growth breeds. Barns are up to 50% less crowded and contain enrichments and cleaner bedding, giving chickens more room to move around freely and engage in natural behaviors like dust bathing, foraging, and perching. The lighting in the barn follows a natural day-and-night cycle rather than the near-constant dim lighting that farms typically use to keep birds awake and eating. These companies have also refused to use live shackling—a brutal and dangerous slaughter method that can lead to birds being boiled alive.
