Food Business Program

ChickenTrack

ChickenTrack: The Chicken Welfare Progress Report

Each year, approximately 9.5 billion broiler chickens – chickens raised for meat – are grown in the United States, making them the most farmed animal in the country.

Due to the intensification of factory farming, most broilers endure inhumane treatment and poor quality of life. Modern chickens are bred to grow unnaturally fast, leading to severe health issues. They are typically crammed into overcrowded barns, often standing on damp, ammonia-laden litter that causes painful sores. Many chickens spend their lives under dim artificial light with little to no environmental enrichment to express natural behaviors.

The need for meaningful change to the broiler chicken industry has never been greater.

The Better Chicken Commitment: A Path to Meaningful Change

The Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) is a science-based commitment that addresses systemic welfare issues in modern chicken farming by:

Promoting scientifically approved healthier breeds with better leg strength, lower mortality, and improved overall welfare
Ensuring broilers have the space and environmental conditions necessary for healthier lives, including lower stocking densities, dry and friable litter, natural lighting cycles, and functional enrichments such as perches and straw bales
Replacing inhumane live bird shackling with a less invasive, calmer controlled-atmosphere stunning (CAS) process

Now in its sixth edition, Compassion in World Farming USA's ChickenTrack highlights the progress U.S. food companies are making toward these critical improvements. With over 230 companies committed to the BCC, our report tracks the U.S. industry’s movement toward higher welfare standards. ChickenTrack celebrates milestones, identifies laggards, and reinforces the urgent need for change.

By setting clear expectations and holding companies accountable, ChickenTrack serves as a vital tool for transparency and progress, pushing the U.S. food industry toward a future where broilers are raised with care, dignity, and respect.

The Better Chicken Commitment is the solution to rising consumer expectations for transparency and ethical sourcing. Food businesses and broiler producers alike continue to report improved standards for broilers nationwide. By working together to implement these meaningful improvements, we can drive systemic change and create a future where better welfare isn’t just an aspiration—it's the industry standard.

Julia Johnson - U.S. Head of Food Business, CIWF

Global Animal Partnership Update – Making Breed Essential

Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.) is a leading third-party certification standard, created with animal welfare at its core. Through its comprehensive 5-Step © Animal Welfare Rating Program, producers and companies can verify higher welfare standards and sourcing with G.A.P.’s on-brand labeling. This program facilitates transparency for consumers making ethical and informed choices regarding animal welfare.

In December 2024, G.A.P. announced a significant update to its chicken welfare standards. The revised program now mandates the transition to improved chicken breeds across all step levels, addressing concerns about rapid growth rates.

Key details from this update:

Producers must begin phasing in higher-welfare breeds in 2025
Full compliance expected by June 2030
Applies to all steps of G.A.P.'s 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Program

This initiative underscores G.A.P.'s commitment to advancing farm animal welfare on a global scale and sets a new benchmark for the poultry industry.

CIWF is excited to see G.A.P. remains committed to raising the welfare standards for chickens through the adoption of higher-welfare breeds across all steps of G.A.P.'s program. This will significantly improve the lives over 400 million chickens raised each year under G.A.P.'s certification. Higher welfare breeds experience improved health outcomes and a better well-being overall, avoiding many of the welfare challenges associated with fast-growing breeds. This update marks a significant milestone in farm animal welfare, and paves the way for a more humane and sustainable future for broiler welfare.

Dr. Hillary Dalton - Senior Research Manager, CIWF

ChickenTrack: Producers

Learn about producers committed to higher welfare through the BCC, along with a feature from Greener Pastures, one of the newest signatories committed to higher welfare broiler farming.

Producers

In September 2024, CIWF launched a "Better Chicken" visual identity to support food businesses in communicating their chicken welfare commitments. This initiative includes:

A central logo with the tagline, "Committed to Better Chicken, Raising Standards Together"
Accompanying visual assets based on BCC principles
Marketing resources to raise consumer awareness and foster support for improved broiler welfare practices.

To apply to use the Better Chicken visual identity in the United States, please contact the Food Business Team.

GCA

Learn more about CIWF's Good Chicken Award

Good Chicken Award

Third-Party Welfare Labels

Companies can improve transparency in their supply chain through third-party certification audits, however not all certifications are equal. View the certification matrix below to see how each third-party welfare label audits the BCC:

The full ChickenTrack report will be launched in May 2025, including:

Highlights of companies achieving progress in BCC implementation, and those falling behind,
Evaluation on BCC progress in individual sectors of the food industry, such as restaurants and food service companies,
And key trends on progress toward implementing higher welfare broiler production and procurement.