itsu [grocery] & itsu restaurants have committed to the Better Chicken Commitment as we are passionate about improving chicken welfare within our supply chains. We have been working closely with our suppliers to drive improvements & support them in moving towards our goal.
The exact standards of the Better Chicken Commitment policy are outlined below, for 100% of the fresh, frozen & processed chicken in our supply chain & the deadline is to be met by 2026.
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Comply with all EU animal welfare laws & regulations: regardless of the country of production.
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Implement a maximum stocking density of 30kg/m2 or less. Thinning is discouraged & if practised must be limited to one thin per flock.
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Adopt breeds that demonstrate higher welfare outcomes.
4. Meet improved environmental standards including:
At least 50 lux of light, including natural light
At least 2 meters of usable perch space, and two pecking substrates, per 1,000 birds
On air quality, the maximum requirements of Annex 2.3 of the EU broiler directive, regardless of stocking density
No cages or multi-tier systems
5. Adopt controlled atmospheric stunning using inert gas or multi-phase systems, or effective electrical stunning without live inversion.
6. Demonstrate compliance with the above standards via third-party auditing & annual public reporting on progress towards the commitment.
itsu [grocery] 2023 progress update
In 2023, across our 4 itsu [grocery] chicken suppliers, we have achieved 42% compliance across the 6 requirements from BCC.
We are continuing to work with our suppliers, and in 2024 we will be focusing on achieving the BCC requirement for environmental enrichment across all of our chicken suppliers.
itsu [grocery] target for 2024 is 50% compliance across our chicken suppliers.