RSPCA: Shoppers ditch standard chicken in favour of higher welfare

Wednesday, 14 April 2010 10:56 AM

New research reveals people are choosing to buy more Freedom Food labelled indoor chicken than ever before, whilst lower welfare 'standard' chicken is taking a downturn.

The research - carried out by Kantar Worldpanel for RSPCA Freedom Food - revealed growth and spend on Freedom Food indoor reared chicken is far outstripping 'standard', with a staggering 55.2 million pound increase in consumer spending on Freedom Food labelled chicken (from 16.4 million to 71.6 million) since March last year.*

This compares to a drop of more than 26 million pounds for 'standard' chicken - proof that animal welfare is still on the shopping list of even the most budget-conscious consumers.

The growth in the amount of Freedom Food chicken sold in supermarkets has also overtaken 'standard,' up more than 15 million kilos - from 5.6 to 20.7 million - compared to a decrease of 11 million for 'standard'.

This news comes more than two years after chicken welfare hit the headlines with high profile campaigns by Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Leigh Grant, Freedom Food's chief executive, said: "We expected to see an increase in sales of Freedom Food chicken after Jamie and Hugh highlighted the benefits of buying higher welfare back in 2008 - but these latest results far exceed anything we could have predicted.

"They are absolute proof that chicken welfare is of paramount importance to more people than ever before. And the fact shoppers have stood firm by animal welfare through some of the most difficult economic times only reinforces that it is an issue that is here to stay."

The research shows that Sainsbury's is the largest retailer of Freedom Food chicken, followed by Tesco and then Morrisons.

For more information about Freedom Food please contact the press office on 0300 123 0134/0244.

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*These findings are based on Kantar Worldpanel data for the 52 weeks to 21 March 2010 on fresh chicken meat sales (whole birds and portions) sold in the major UK supermarkets: Tesco, Asda,

Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Somerfield, Waitrose, The Co-operative and Marks and Spencer. Kantar Worldpanel monitors the household grocery purchasing habits of 25,000 demographically representative households in Great Britain. All data discussed in the above announcement is based on the value of items being bought by these consumers, Kantar will only support data that is published in the context we have presented it and our own interpretation of these findings. We cannot be held responsible for any other interpretation of these findings.

Notes to editors:

Freedom Food approves indoor, free-range and organic chicken production where the RSPCA's welfare standards are met but the figures used in this release only refer to Freedom Food labelled indoor reared chicken. The total value of all Freedom Food chicken is 97 million pounds, when free-range is included.

· Freedom Food (FF) announced earlier this year a record breaking 532 million farm animals are being reared under its scheme to the RSPCA's higher welfare standards. This is a 46 per cent increase since 2008 which means that nearly 170 million more animals are now benefitting from being reared to the RSPCA's higher welfare standards compared to just over a year ago. This includes chickens, turkeys, laying hens, ducks, pigs, sheep, salmon and dairy and beef cattle.

· The range of FF labelled products on offer is also at an all-time high, with more than 700 different lines now available across major retailers, independents and online. These include chicken, turkey, eggs, salmon, pork, duck and dairy products.

· A recent consumer survey from IGD, the food and grocery research body, also found that animal welfare standards have risen up the list of priorities for shoppers when choosing food and grocery products. In January 2010, 19 per cent of shoppers said that animal welfare standards influenced their shopping decisions, compared with just 10 per cent in 2006.

FF labelled products come from farms that are assessed to strict RSPCA welfare standards which go beyond the industry standards and legislation in many key welfare areas
All FF members (farms, hauliers, processors, packers and abattoirs) receive annual assessments, and visits by RSPCA farm livestock officers to check standards are maintained
Traceability checks are also carried out on FF labelled products from supermarket shelf back to farm - through processor, packer, abattoir and haulier - to ensure the product is correctly labelled

FF was set up by the RSPCA in 1994 to help improve the lives of animals farmed for food and act as a catalyst for change throughout the food and farming industry. It is a registered charity and non-profit making

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