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UK restaurant chains including Nando’s, KFC and Burger King have withdrawn from a commitment to source slower-growing, happier chickens, blaming supply constraints amid soaring demand for the protein product.
Eight restaurant owners on Thursday abandoned the “Better Chicken Commitment”, a set of environmental and welfare standards established a decade ago that was widely adopted by supermarkets such as Waitrose and Marks and Spencer, as well as food chains including Pret A Manger and Greggs.
The eight companies, which include KFC and Pizza Hut owner Yum Brands and Frankie & Benny’s owner The Big Table Group, said the BCC was “no longer the right framework” because it required companies to source only slower-growing breeds.
KFC had already ditched its pledge to stop buying faster-growing breeds in 2024 but officially withdrew from the whole Better Chicken Commitment framework on Thursday. A person close to the company said there was insufficient supply of slower-growing chickens in the UK.
The companies argue that selecting slower-growing breeds has negative knock-on impacts, including higher emissions and more land area used for farming. Nando’s had pledged to adhere to the standards by 2026.
The companies have formed a new group called the Sustainable Chicken Forum, which they say will take a “more holistic view of chicken production, recognising that welfare, environmental impact and food security must be addressed together”.
But animal welfare campaigners called the SCF a “coalition of cruelty”. Charities have for years been campaigning against the production of fast-growing “Frankenchickens”, which are bred to produce as much meat in as little time as possible.
“Major food companies . . . have decided that their profit margins cannot be threatened,” said Claire Williams, campaigns manager at The Humane League UK, a charity. “This is a massive backslide for animal welfare, and a tragic victory for factory farming.”
“Businesses should never be allowed to self-regulate, particularly in matters as vital as the treatment of sentient beings — it is foxes guarding the chicken coop,” she added.
UKHospitality, the trade group coordinating the new coalition, said soaring demand for chicken, as well as the adoption of higher welfare standards — including giving chickens more room in sheds — had reduced production levels, piling pressure on UK supply.
Companies such as KFC and Wingstop have reported strong growth thanks to the country’s growing appetite for chicken, particularly among Gen Z consumers. The number of UK restaurants serving chicken grew by 6.5 per cent in 2025, according to analytics company Meaningful Vision.
Richard Griffiths, chief executive of the British Poultry Council, which represents poultry breeders and processors, said the news was “most welcome”, arguing that at a time of rising production costs and slow planning approvals, the industry did not need added costs.
Will Raw, poultry board chair at the National Farmers’ Union, said it was “vital” that any changes to standards were underpinned by scientific evidence and “developed in partnership with poultry producers to ensure there is a demonstrable benefit to bird welfare”.
The companies withdrawing from the commitment were approached for comment but referred the FT to the statement by UKHospitality.