On July 6th, Campfire Treats reached 100% compliance for the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC), a feat that no other company in the United States has made so far. Through collaboration with Compassion in World Farming, Campfire Treats has met this breakthrough commitment ahead of their projected completion date of 2024.

In the United States, nearly 10 billion chickens are raised for meat. These “broiler” chickens are often overcrowded in dimly lit barns and are unable to express natural behaviors. Most chicken breeds have also been genetically modified to yield high breast meat volume at the expense of chickens’ physical and mental health. The BCC addresses the main areas of suffering chickens experience today, improving the physical and environmental welfare for these animals in a company’s supply chain.

The BCC outlines three primary criteria surrounding broiler chicken welfare: breed, environment (litter, lighting, enrichment, and stocking density), and slaughter method (requiring controlled atmosphere stunning, or CAS). Reporting progress for Version 1 of the BCC is validated through third-party auditing by the Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.), one of the leading animal welfare labeling agencies in the United States. Over 230 companies have committed to improving welfare standards. Nearly 20% of committed companies are reporting progress on improving broiler welfare, captured in Compassion in World Farming’s US ChickenTrack Report.

In 2022, Campfire Treats reported 100% compliance on stocking density, litter, lighting, enrichments, and CAS. This year, they completed the remaining BCC criteria of higher-welfare breeds, one of the hardest components to implement.

“Implementing the Better Chicken Commitment in such a short time period is not easy, but prioritizing animal welfare in a company’s supply chain is always worth it” says Julia Johnson, Head of Food Business. “We are excited to see Campfire Treats take this monumental step for animals, setting the bar for both the pet food and human food industries.”

Since its founding in 2017, Campfire Treats has focused on food quality, ethical sourcing, and improving the standards of animal welfare within its own supply chain. In addition to sourcing entirely G.A.P. Step 3-certified chicken, they also source G.A.P.-certified beef, pork, and turkey products.

“Animal welfare is central to Campfire Treats, and that is why the Better Chicken Commitment is a necessary step for all companies to take to improve the lives of billions of animals,” says Campfire Treats’ President and Co-Founder Marko Wittich. “We are grateful for Compassion in World Farming’s leadership and collaboration to help us achieve our goals.”

For more about Compassion in World Farming’s Food Business work, see Compassion in World Farming's Food Business homepage.