Marks and Spencer will be the first major retailer to sell only slower-reared, higher welfare chicken across its full range of fresh chicken products.
Slower-reared birds are fed on a specifically designed diet of multigrain to support slower natural growth and muscle development resulting in better flavour.
Food managing director of Marks and Spencer, Stuart Machin said: “Marks and Spencer has a ling history of leading on animal welfare standards, working with our select farmers we know and trust.
“We were the first retailer to sign up to the Better Chicken Commitment, the first major retailer to move to 100 per cent Free Range eggs and all our pork is 100 per cent outdoor bred.”
All fresh chicken sold by Marks and Spencers from Autumn 2022 will be slower-reared, British and Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSCPA) Assured.
RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood described the move as “a landmark achievement for animal welfare” and added: “By switching to using only slower growing breeds of chicken, retailers can make an enormous difference to the lives and welfare of millions of chickens reared in this country every year for their meat.”
LSL News.