The Restaurant Group (TRG), one of the UK’s largest casual dining operators, is pleased to announce that it has signed the European Chicken Commitment (ECC), thereby committing to meet or exceed the standards set out in the commitment, across the portfolio, by 2026.
Signing the ECC is a commitment to improve the welfare of millions of chickens used in the TRG supply chain, building on the cage-free egg commitment, antibiotic usage reduction and responsible fish sourcing programmes we already have in place and further demonstrating our responsible sourcing approach and ongoing commitment to animal welfare.
The ECC requires companies to commit to a range of key standards by 2026 including using higher welfare chicken breeds, reduced stocking density, enriching the environments birds live in, providing natural light and using more humane processes. Our future supply chain will be audited by an independent body to ensure they are meeting the requirements.
Vicky Bond, Managing Director of The Humane League UK, said, “We applaud The Restaurant Group for committing to the European Chicken Commitment, creating meaningful change for chickens in their supply chain.
This commitment, from one of the UK’s biggest hospitality businesses operating over 650 restaurants and pubs up and down the country will benefit countless chickens per year. We are delighted to see them joining the ranks of an increasing number of companies looking to make these positive improvements to the welfare of chickens.”
Rob Beale, Purchasing Director The Restaurant Group said, “I’m delighted that we have signed up to the European Chicken Commitment. Animal welfare is of upmost importance to our business and customers and we have been taking positive steps to advance our performance in this area over recent years, including from switching to free range eggs across our business and to sourcing sustainably certified fish.
'This was the next logical step for us and is an extremely ambitious commitment. We look forward to working with others in the industry to tackle this challenge together.”
