According to a new poll by NRG Research Group , four out of five Americans want food companies to reduce suffering for chickens in their supply chains, even if it means paying higher prices.





Consumers were asked about improving each step of a broiler chicken's life, from genetic selection to slaughter. Of those surveyed, 83 percent oppose using chickens bred to grow so fast they often become crippled under their own weight; 76 percent support ending shackling, shocking, and slitting the throats of conscious animals; and 78 percent support banning these horrific conditions even if it means paying more for chicken meat.





While dozens of food businesses, including Starbucks, Pret A Manger, Chipotle, and Panera Bread, have already adopted meaningful chicken welfare standards, Tyson Foods—the largest chicken producer in the United States—has failed to address the worst animal cruelty in its supply chain.





Recently Tyson announced improved methods for monitoring its suppliers’ treatment of chickens. But the company offered little in the way of concrete improvements for its treatment of animals.





Vancouver Sun reports that a recent poll conducted on behalf of Mercy For Animals found Americans aren’t the only ones willing to pay more for better chicken welfare. Thereports that a recent poll conducted on behalf of Mercy For Animals found 86 percent of Canadians support paying more for chicken meat if companies implement meaningful welfare standards.





Chickens are some of the most abused animals on the planet and make up 99 percent of animals raised and killed for food in the U.S.





Sadly, not a single U.S. federal law provides protection to animals during their lives at factory farms. Even worse, the law that’s supposed to protect animals at slaughterhouses, the Humane Slaughter Act, doesn’t extend to birds, leaving chickens with virtually no protection from abuse.





A recent MFA investigation of several Lilydale supplier farms in Canada exposed workers hitting, kicking, and throwing live birds; violently jamming them into overcrowded transport crates; running over them with forklifts; and ripping off their heads and legs.





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While welfare improvements help prevent some of the worst cruelty to chickens at factory farms, the best way we can help animals is to leave them off our plates and switch to a vegan diet. Click here to get started!



