National Chicken Council Sets Industry-Wide Standards for Broiler Chicken Welfare

The National Chicken Council (NCC) has rolled out a set of industry-wide standards for broiler chicken welfare. The standards, called “Chicken Guarantees,” are part of the NCC’s Chicken Check In program, which serves as a resource for consumers to learn about how broiler chickens are raised.

"NCC and its members remain wholly committed to advancing chicken welfare, continuous improvement and consumer choice," says Ashley Peterson, Ph.D., SVP of scientific and regulatory affairs at the NCC. "But consumers today are constantly being bombarded with negatives on labeling – no preservatives, no hormones, no additives, no this, never that. Through our Chicken Guarantees, we want to provide the baseline principles that always hold true, no matter what chicken you eat."

The Chicken Guarantees represent a set of assurances to provide consumers with simple, clear and accurate information about how their chicken is cared for and raised. Regardless of which welfare standards a chicken company adheres to – or whether the chickens were raised conventionally, organic, without antibiotics or free range – the following principles hold true:

According to a recent survey by ORC International, 76 percent of Americans still believe there are added hormones or steroids present in most chicken meat, and 70 percent believe most chickens raised for meat are raised in cages. Plus, 62 percent surveyed consumers said chicken labels and packaging were confusing.

"We support choices in the meat case for consumers, but the data clearly shows that with so many options, consumers can become confused,” NCC’s Peterson continues. “We believe that by providing our consumers with facts about chicken care, their choices can become easier.”