On 4^th September, leading French supermarket chain E.Leclerc, which holds 21.4% of the retail market in France [1]), signed up to the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC).

After pledging to introduce the new standards in early 2020 for its Marque Repère products, the group has now extended its commitment to cover 100% of its own-brand chicken meat, both fresh and frozen, and for all products that contain more than 50% chicken.

In particular, the BCC criteria asks for a reduced stocking density, the use of slower growing strains of chicken, an enriched living environment and more humane slaughter methods.

This move from the top French retailer follows a series of commitments made by others in the market including: Monoprix, Carrefour, Auchan, Système U, Les Mousquetaires, and more recently from discount retailers Aldi and Lidl.

Compassion’s Director of Food Business, Tracey Jones, commented: “We welcome this latest announcement from E.Leclerc and will continue to support them in the implementation of the BCC criteria and with their other animal welfare commitments.

In just over a year, almost all the French supermarkets have signed up to the Better Chicken Commitment. Having a large number of retailers involved will give suppliers the confidence to make the necessary investments and we are delighted that France is taking a leading position on broiler welfare.”

GROUPE HOLDER JOINS THE RANKS

Groupe Holder who owns the popular PAUL and Ladurée brands has also recently announced its commitment to the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC).

After their commitment to source only cage-free eggs and egg products by 2025, the group is continuing their approach to improving animal welfare across their supply with this latest pledge to improve broiler welfare.

Due to its European scale, this new group commitment has particular significance for countries where little progress has been made in the welfare of broilers, such as Spain or Poland.

Compassion has been working with Groupe Holder since 2017 and has also been a member of the Scientific Committee of the PAUL brand since its creation in 2019. We welcome this latest pledge to improve chicken welfare and hope it will encourage others in the sector to follow their lead.

E.Leclerc joins the Better Chicken Commitment