Nestlé push for higher welfare chicken in Europe

Today, Nestlé announced that it will help improve the welfare of millions of chickens used in its European supply chain.

By 2026, all Nestlé food products that use chicken as an ingredient in Europe will move to the higher welfare standards as set out in the Better Chicken Commitment.

Improving animal welfare forms part of Nestlé’s efforts to use traceable and responsibly sourced ingredients.

This latest announcement builds on a similar pledge on broiler welfare made by Nestlé in the US last year and follows the company’s decision to source only cage free eggs globally by 2025. In Europe and the US, Nestlé will make the transition to cage-free even earlier, by the end of 2020, a move which secured them a Good Egg Award at our Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards ceremony on 21st June.

Commenting on the announcement, Nestlé Zone Europe, Middle East and North Africa CEO Marco Settembri said: “Consumers want to know where their food comes from and how it is made. As part of our commitment to source ingredients responsibly we will improve welfare standards for millions of chickens used in our food products in Europe,  including our HERTA, BUITONI, WAGNER and MAGGI ranges.”

The company will begin a phased approach, starting in January 2019, engaging with suppliers and stakeholders to assess how chicken ingredients sourced for these products can meet the new welfare requirements, while maintaining consumer access to affordable, high-quality product choices.

Compassion’s Director of Food Business, Tracey Jones welcomed the announcement: “We are delighted that Nestlé has joined the ranks of other leading food companies signing up to the Better Chicken Commitment. Following their global commitment on cage-free eggs it really highlights the company’s ambition for continuous improvement in farm animal welfare. 

Their commitments have the potential to improve the lives of millions of farm animals and we will continue to work with Nestlé to ensure the effective implementation of these new welfare standards.”

Nestlé joins M&S, Unilever and Elior Group, and our latest Good Chicken Award winners Danone and Blue Apron, who have all recently made broiler welfare commitments.

These companies, along with over 90 other US businesses that have signed up to the Better Chicken Commitment in the past year, have kick started a revolution and started to stimulate the market for higher welfare chicken and we encourage others to get involved.

Find out more about our Good Chicken Award here.