In 2021, Compassion in World Farming formed the US Working Group for Broiler Welfare. In this collaborative hub, restaurant chains, grocers, food service providers, and other food businesses are working together to improve the lives of chickens they depend on for their products. Here, leading companies have a safe space to create, share, and evolve best practices and innovative solutions through peer-to-peer learning and knowledge sharing.  

In its second year, the Working Group has more than doubled in size, welcoming nine new members from across the food industry: 

1. Applegate 
2. Earth Animal 
3. Giant Eagle 
4. HelloFresh US 
5. Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon 
6. Natural Grocers 
7. Pret a Manger 
8. Sprouts Farmers Market
9. Whole Foods 

These brands have joined forces along with our founding members, Aramark, Compass Group, Nestlé USA, Panera Bread, Shake Shack, Sodexo, and Target, to explore workable strategies to resolve their shared challenges in transitioning to higher welfare standards. Together, the 16 Working Group members stand to improve the lives of over 111 million chickens annually. The members are collaborating with Perdue Farms, which has been continually improving its practices to align with the standards of the Better Chicken Commitment since 2016.

Creating better conditions for farmed animals can be difficult, even for larger companies. Companies must navigate their existing supplier contracts and keep up with product demand while also scoping out higher welfare suppliers, identifying and addressing supply gaps, maintaining audits and records of supplier practices, and keeping up with the latest welfare science to ensure suppliers meet corporate welfare standards. The Working Group mitigates these challenges by enabling companies to learn from others' setbacks and minimize duplicative efforts while creating a unified ask to producers that supply multiple clients.

The uptick in corporate collaboration indicates the seriousness with which food businesses and producers are committing to higher welfare. Today, animal welfare is becoming increasingly ingrained into company ethos and long-term sustainability plans. We are delighted to join these companies on their journeys to create a more compassionate world for chickens.