Jamie's Fowl Dinners The facts about the shops you shop in

Date Published:

11/01/2008

The following supermarkets were asked these questions, see their responses below (in alphabetical order).

Question 1

What are your different ranges of fresh whole chicken and pieces?

Question 2

Please outline the welfare conditions of the chickens in these different ranges (ACP standard, Freedom Food, Free-range, Organic etc.), what breed are the birds? At what age are they slaughtered? What is the stocking density at which they are kept?

Answer 1

Standard, Cornfed, Organic and Free Range

Answer 2

All our standard fresh ASDA (brand) chicken is British and clearly labelled with the little Red Tractor logo guaranteeing it meets strict farm assurance standards.

They are reared in barns that provide warm, dry housing with straw or wood shavings bedding, heating and fresh air controlled by ventilation systems, and have full access to food and fresh drinking water.

We also sell free range and organic chickens in all our stores nationwide, offering an extensive range to meet the palates and pockets of all our customers.

Answer 1

In September 2007 the Co-operative replaced standard fresh whole chickens with chickens reared to the higher welfare Elmwood standard. From March 2008, this higher welfare standard will be extended to all Co-operative fresh chicken.

The Co-operative also sells British Freedom Food Free Range chickens under its Truly Irresistible label and British Organic chicken.

Answer 2

A dedicated group of British and Northern Irish farmers have been selected to rear chickens to our higher welfare Elmwood standard, exclusively for the Co-operative.

The chickens are housed in naturally ventilated and sunlit barns to give a fresher, brighter more comfortable environment (In excess of Freedom Food standards). The chickens are given 30% more space than standard chickens to allow them to move around (The same amount of space as required for Freedom Food and Organic standards).

Each barn is furnished with straw bales, perches and pecking objects to keep the birds stimulated (The same as required for Freedom Food).

Our chickens grow slower through the use of a naturally balanced, high cereal vegetarian diet. Our chickens will never be given antibiotics unless they are ill and visited by a vet.

Our chickens will never be fed growth promoters or digestive enhancers designed to increase weight gain. Our chickens have six hours of darkness each day to allow them to rest. 50% more than standard chickens (The same as required for Freedom Food).

The age at which they are slaughtered ranges from 40 to 50 days, depending on the size of chicken needed.

The Freedom Food Free Range and Organic are the generic standards used by everybody.