Frankenchickens: Major Fast-Food Brands Scrap Animal Welfare Pledge, Including Nando's And KFC

Several major fast-food brands have withdrawn from a key animal welfare pledge in order to keep using “frankenchickens,” including Nando’s and KFC.

The companies cited ongoing supply issues and environmental concerns related to the proposed transition away from fast-growing chicken breeds.

Eight restaurant groups that together own 18 brands – including Burger King, Wagamama, Nando’s, and KFC – have officially withdrawn from the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC), which had a full compliance deadline of 2026.

The companies have instead joined the Sustainable Chicken Forum (SCF), which is industry-led and allows the use of fast-growing chickens. In a press release published by UK Hospitality, SCF said that the “focus on slower-growing breeds alone ignores the knock-on impacts of these breeds for the poultry supply chain.”

Anima International said that the decision to leave the BCC was “about money and nothing else.” In a statement, Connor Jackson, the charity’s CEO, said, “The breeding of fast-growing chickens represents one of the biggest sources of animal suffering in the world, and it’s a practice that is out of step with public sentiment.”

‘A welfare-washing PR stunt designed to deflect criticism’

As reported by The Ecologist, Claire Williams, the campaigns manager at The Humane League UK, said, “Let’s be crystal clear about why the Sustainable Chicken Forum has been set up. Major food companies, with a combined worth of many billions of pounds, have decided that their profit margins cannot be threatened.”

In contrast, The Better Chicken Commitment is science-based and addresses common welfare issues caused by fast-growing birds raised in high-yield factory farms, including overcrowding, poor conditions, and painful slaughter methods.

“The Better Chicken Commitment was designed by scientists to help animals,” said Williams. “The Sustainable Chicken Forum is a welfare-washing, PR-stunt designed to deflect criticism, and let these companies claim they are doing enough.”

‘A transition is already happening’

Photo shows a factory-farmed chicken with bald spots on its body. Frankenchickens are fast-growing animals that have been bred to grow as big as possible, as quickly as possible — Adobe Stock Fast-growing chickens, also known as “frankenchickens,” experience myriad health issues

Frankenchickens are fast-growing animals that have been bred to grow as big as possible, as quickly as possible. They reach their slaughter weight at just six weeks old, which strains their bones, muscles, and ligaments. Many lose the ability to walk.

Fast-growing breeds get sick more often, requiring more antibiotics. They also make up roughly 90 percent of the 1.2 billion chickens farmed for meat every year in the UK.

In February, Norway announced that it will phase out frankenchickens by 2027. Norway raises approximately 70 million chickens for food per year, and is the first country to commit entirely to high-welfare, slow-growing poultry.

“A transition is already happening in countries such as Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany,” added Jackson. “Our mission to achieve this in the UK hasn’t changed; we’re preparing to devote more resources than ever to this fight.”