KFC slammed as worst ranked on key issue

KFC has been slammed as the worst performing fast food outlet in Australia when it comes to “cheap” chicken and animal welfare, as well as being accused of “grossly underperforming” with offering plant-based options.

A new report examined nine of Australia’s biggest fast food companies and their commitment to chicken welfare as well as plant-based items on their menu, with McDonald’s also rating poorly.

Animal welfare charity World Animal Protection (WPC) found that KFC ranked last out of the nine fast food chains as it failed to sign up to initiatives to improve chicken welfare in its supply chain and also did not provide any permanent plant-based options for customers.

Rochelle Flood, campaign manager at World Animal Protection said it was disappointing that KFC had failed to act, despite more than 35,000 people signing a petition last year calling on the Australian fast food giant to sign on to the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC).

The BCC is a set of criteria for chicken’s welfare including the use of slower-growing breeds, usable perch space, the provision of natural light, greater air quality and more humane slaughter methods.

The UK arm of KFC and its operations in six other countries across Europe have adopted the BCC, but so far KFC in Australia declined to do so, she added.

Aussies regular fast food consumers

Ms Flood said KFC’s lack of action raised questions about their priorities, especially when it comes to chickens having good lives.

“Within Australia over 75 per cent of people regularly eat at fast food restaurants and companies like KFC have a critical role to play to ensure that chickens raised for meat have good lives and also people who are looking to reduce meat consumption have plant-based options. They are failing on both key issues for consumers,” Ms Flood told news.com.au.

“Generally when it comes to chicken welfare we found Australian fast food restaurants are falling behind as we also assessed company’s branches in the UK and US where there is broader uptake of chicken welfare and plant-based options.

“But even within Australia KFC is falling behind and while other companies like McDonald’s guaranteed that its chicken supply would be RSPCA certified – it’s a good first step – but doesn’t go far enough. Yet, KFC hasn’t even made that commitment.”

The RSPCA certification does not currently address the issue of fast-growing breeds, one of the biggest concerns with chickens raised for meat in Australia, the report found.

A KFC Australia spokesperson said it supports improvements in animal welfare that are evidence-based and backed by science and research.

“All the chickens we use are raised in large barns, which allows flocks to be raised comfortably and engage in natural behaviours. We require all our poultry suppliers to be members of the Australian Chicken Meat Federation and strictly follow the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals, Domestic Poultry,” they said.

“In addition, KFC Australia requires our suppliers – who are highly regarded in the industry – to pass audits that include monitoring the use of antibiotics in flocks and adhering to welfare standards.”

Meanwhile, McDonald’s also didn’t offer any permanent plant-based options on its menu, the report found.

“McDonald’s underperformed particularly in plant-based offerings and we acknowledge they have one-plast based offering in Victoria but an achievement would be a main meal option available nationwide and all year around,” Ms Flood added.

“It can’t be a limited trial. We want to see them stepping up to the plate.”

McDonald’s did not respond to news.com.au’s request for comment.

2mchickens killed each day

The report revealed that demand for chicken has skyrocketed in the past decade, with the average number of chickens raised for meat annually in Australia increasing by 100 million.

More than 675 million meat chickens were killed in the 2020/21 financial year – meaning almost two million chickens are killed for meat in Australia every day.

Most of these chickens are factory farmed in sheds with 40,000 to 60,000 birds and to keep up with demand these animals grow three times as fast as traditional breeds and have been genetically selected to reach ‘slaughter weight’ as fast as possible.

“The cost to the welfare of the birds is significant. Every stage of their life involves suffering,” the report noted.

“A 30 gram chick can reach slaughter weight, around 2 kilograms, in as little as six weeks. This growth rate is equivalent to a 3 kilogram newborn human baby reaching 300 kilograms in two months.”

How other fast food operators rated

Hungry Jack’s, Guzman Y Gomez, Pizza Hut, Subway, Nandos and Starbucks all got the tick of approval for offering permanent plant-based options in Australia.

However, Pizza Hut, Guzman Y Gomez and Subway were criticised for having no publicly available chicken welfare commitments and not signing on to any standards.

But Guzman Y Gomez said it only serves Lilydale Free Range Chicken which is FREPA accredited and is only available to free range poultry farms, whereas the RSPCA Higher Welfare and BCC only relate to barn-raised poultry.

“Guzman y Gomez has always believed in higher animal welfare and are leaders in the Australian fast food industry with regard to chicken welfare,” a spokesperson said.

“In 2016 Guzman y Gomez became the first fast food restaurant in Australia to serve Lilydale Free Range Chicken across all our restaurants. To our knowledge, no other major fast food company serves FREPA accredited Lilydale Free Range chicken which guarantees a higher standard of farming in chicken welfare.

“We pay a significantly higher amount for Lilydale Free Range Chicken to ensure the chickens have access to an enriched outdoor range area rather than being barn raised which is the subject of this report”.

According to World Animal Protection, the BCC is the only certification currently requiring specific breeds to be used that grow more slowly and have higher welfare outcomes. “Currently, it is not enough to simply offer chickens access to an outdoor range, because if they are suffering extreme muscle weakness and broken bones, they will not be able/willing to use that outdoor range anyway. This is why it’s crucial companies sign onto the BCC,” the organisation explained.

“For example, FREPA certification focuses on free-range but the indoor standards component of their certification for meat chickens largely aligns with the RSPCA certification. This does not go as far as the BCC because it does not require the use of slower growing breeds.”

Pizza Hut and Subway did not respond to news.com.au’s request for comment.

Industry leaders

Domino’s Australia were industry leaders in chicken welfare, according to the WPC, as the only fast-food company in Australia that has committed to adopting the BCC.

It also ranked highly for having extensive offerings of “more humane and sustainable” plant-based meal options, the report found.

To avoid more suffering and environmental catastrophe, the report added there needs to be a transition to plant-based proteins and animals farmed at higher welfare standards, but said this can’t happen without fast food operators.

Ms Flood is confident there is demand there too with a recent survey from WPC finding that 61 per cent of Australians think its important for fast food restaurants to offer plant-based options, while this jumps to 76 per cent for Gen Zs.

The plant-based sector is projected to be worth $3 billion in Australia by 2030, the Food Frontier report found, but Ms Flood the shift would happen at a much faster rate if fast food companies embrace it.

Chilling warning

The report also argued that it was time that animals are farmed more responsibility otherwise there is a risk that current practices could spark another pandemic.

For the duration of their short lives, factory farmed animals are pumped with antibiotics to be kept alive until their death date, contributing to the rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the report said.

“Antibiotic resistance, or superbugs, is one of the biggest threats to global health today. Currently, it is estimated that superbugs are responsible for 1.3 million human deaths each year,” the report said.

“This is projected to rise to 10 million deaths a year by 2050.

“Farming large numbers of genetically similar animals in confined spaces also leads to increased risk of disease spread, including zoonotic diseases that can spread from animals to humans.”