Shoppers ditch standard chicken

14.04.10

Freedom Food chicken sales are on the up as ‘standard’ takes a downturn, new research reveals.

New research reveals people are choosing to buy more Freedom Food labelled indoor chicken than ever before, whilst lower welfare ‘standard’ chicken is taking a downturn.

The research - carried out by Kantar Worldpanel for RSPCA Freedom Food - revealed growth and spend on Freedom Food indoor reared chicken is far outstripping ‘standard’, with a staggering 55.2 million pound increase in consumer spending on Freedom Food labelled chicken (from 16.4 million to 71.6 million) since March last year.*

This compares to a drop of more than 26 million pounds for ‘standard’ chicken - proof that animal welfare is still on the shopping list of even the most budget-conscious consumers.

The growth in the amount of Freedom Food chicken sold in supermarkets has also overtaken ‘standard,’ up more than 15 million kilos - from 5.6 to 20.7 million - compared to a decrease of 11 million for ‘standard’.

This news comes more than two years after chicken welfare hit the headlines with high profile campaigns by Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Leigh Grant, Freedom Food’s chief executive, said: “We expected to see an increase in sales of Freedom Food chicken after Jamie and Hugh highlighted the benefits of buying higher welfare back in 2008 - but these latest results far exceed anything we could have predicted.

“They are absolute proof that chicken welfare is of paramount importance to more people than ever before. And the fact shoppers have stood firm by animal welfare through some of the most difficult economic times only reinforces that it is an issue that is here to stay.”

The research shows that Sainsbury’s is the largest retailer of Freedom Food chicken, followed by Tesco and then Morrisons.