Marks & Spencer has taken a further step towards meeting the full requirements of the Better Chicken Commitment by reducing bird stocking densities across its supply chain.
The retailer has committed to switching from its existing level of 34kg/square metres to 30kg by May 2025, across all its chicken products, including chicken used as an ingredient.
M&S and Waitrose are the only UK supermarkets to have signed up to the industry-wide BCC.
However, M&S has led the way in meeting all of the commitment’s criteria, having switched to the slower-growing, higher-welfare Oakham Gold breed in 2022 for fresh chicken, while also meeting the BCC’s requirements on natural light, enrichment and slaughtering standards.
It said plans were also already in place to roll out Oakham Gold to all M&S chicken products, including frozen, in time to meet the Better Chicken Commitment’s deadline in 2026.
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To date, only one business, Norway’s Norsk Kylling, has achieved 100% compliance with all of the BCC. A further six, including M&S and Waitrose, have reported 100% compliance against one criterion.
Waitrose has already committed to cutting stocking densities and the BCC’s standards on natural light, enrichment and slaughtering. However, unlike M&S, it is yet to switch to slower-growing breeds.
Other UK retailers, ranging from Tesco (last month), to Morrisons, the Co-op, Lidl and Sainsbury’s, have also committed or completed switches to reducing stocking densities to 30kg/square metre since last year. However, they have also drawn criticism from animal welfare campaigners for so far resisting calls to sign up to the BCC, instead offering only some products that meet its criteria.
“M&S is the only retailer that has taken meaningful action to deliver the British Chicken Commitment with all our fresh RSPCA Assured Oakham Gold chicken already bred to the highest welfare standards since 2022,” said M&S Food technical director Andy Clappen.
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