Food and Retail Brands Announce Formation of the US Working Group for Broiler Welfare

NEW YORK CITY — In stated recognition of the collaboration needed to improve broiler chicken welfare, seven food and restaurant companies — Aramark, Compass Group, Nestlé USA, Panera Bread, Shake Shack, Sodexo and Target — have come together to form the U.S. Working Group for Broiler Welfare. 

The U.S. Working Group for Broiler Welfare, facilitated by Compassion in World Farming and Blue House Sustainability Consulting, aims to support members in exploring workable strategies and creative solutions for transitioning supply chains through the lens of the welfare standards outlined in the Better Chicken Commitment.  

“I am thrilled to join the working group as we push to improve broiler chicken welfare across the industry. Shake Shack’s focus on premium ingredients, thoughtful sourcing and animal welfare has always been core to who we are,” said Jeffrey Amoscato, senior vice president of supply chain and menu innovation at Shake Shack. “We’re looking forward to learning from and collaborating with our peers to better understand barriers and potential solutions for accelerating improvements more broadly.”  

“As this working group aligns with Sodexo’s global animal welfare position, we embrace the opportunity to work collectively to improve broiler chicken welfare and foster better engagement with the industry as a whole,” said Judy Panayos, senior director of sustainability for Sodexo.  

“Bringing restaurant leaders together in the working group will help us collaborate and innovate across all parts of this important transition — from impacts on farmers to measurement of animal care,” said Sara Burnett, vice president of food values, sustainability and public affairs at Panera Bread. “These discussions will help us as we continually strive to provide responsibly raised proteins.”