Aramark Expands its Broiler Chicken Commitment to Now Include Europe

Aramark has a long-standing commitment to advancing responsible sourcing in a way that minimises impacts to people, animals and the environment. We are proud of our industry-leading Animal Welfare Policy (click here) and the significant progress we’ve made across the industry (click here). As we learn from our experiences in the United States, we expand to other countries where we operate. 

We are pleased to announce that we have expanded on our 2016 U.S. and Canadian commitment for the humane treatment of broiler chickens to now include Europe. 

By 2026, we will require our European suppliers to meet the following requirements for 100% of the fresh, frozen, and processed chicken in our supply chain:

• 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. Thinning is discouraged and if practiced must be limited to one thin per flock.
• Adopt breeds that demonstrate higher welfare outcomes that meet the criteria of the RSPCA Broiler Breed Welfare Assessment Protocol.
• Meet improved environmental standards including natural light and enrichment.
• 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.

Aramark is a founding member of the Global Coalition for Animal Welfare (GCAW), the world’s first food industry-led initiative aimed at advancing animal welfare globally. Improving broiler chicken welfare is one of the key priorities of the coalition. 

You can read the statement in full here.