Higher Welfare Chicken Sales Continue To Rise
According to a study by England’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), sales of “higher welfare” chicken have increased. There is evidence that sales will continue to increase as the result of high-profile chicken campaigns led by the RSPCA and celebrity chefs Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Jamie Oliver.
According to supermarket data, Waitrose sales of Select Farm chicken have increased by 15% since campaigns by the RSPCA and celebrity chefs began. Free-range chicken sales have increased by 22% and organic chicken sales have increased by 39%. Likewise, Somerfield has seen sales of free-range poultry increase by 50% and sales of higher welfare fresh poultry increase by 40%.
Expected sales of both higher welfare and free-range poultry will likely increase from about 5% of total fresh poultry sales to 14-15% by December 2008. Plans to launch a new range of RSPCA Freedom Food poultry products are anticipated to account for 5% of standard poultry sales.
Producer Lloyd Maunder was producing 75,000 Freedom Food chickens per week, representing 15% of its total output. However, by August of 2008 the company plans to increase its production to 250,000 Freedom Food chickens per week (about 39% of total production).