Yum! Animal Welfare
As a major purchaser of food products, Yum! has the opportunity and responsibility to influence the way animals supplied to us are treated. We take that responsibility very seriously and monitor our suppliers on an ongoing basis to determine whether our suppliers are using humane procedures for caring for and handling animals they supply to us. As a consequence, it is our goal to only deal with suppliers who promise to maintain our standards and share our commitment to animal welfare.
KFC Animal Welfare Advisory Council
We have a track record of leadership in animal welfare. Our U.S. animal welfare leadership program began with the formation of KFC's Animal Welfare Advisory Council. The Council, which also provides advice to our other brands, helps us to continuously research new methods for both welfare advancement and viability that will ultimately determine the adoption of improved practices. For example, through The Council, stun methodology and technique are constantly being reevaluated. Our suppliers are also an integral part of this collaborative study and evaluation.
The Council was also instrumental in developing the Guiding Principles for our Animal Welfare Program. These Principles, which apply to all Yum! poultry suppliers across the U.S., focus on:
- Animal treatment;
- Partnership with industry experts;
- Ongoing training and education;
- Performance quantification and supplier improvement;
- Communication with industry leaders; and
- Funding of research.
External Consultation
While our standards for animal welfare are high, we always seek knowledge from external sources to improve our practices where appropriate. In the U.S., KFC has enlisted the assistance of the American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP) in an effort to clarify and further define poultry welfare criteria, policy and audit points. Yum! serves on two AAAP Welfare subcommittees, exploring questions concerning poultry welfare. We were also a prominent player in the joint effort conducted by the National Council of Chain Restaurants and the Food Marketing Institute to develop comprehensive guidelines for all species of farm animals. We also have a veterinarian on staff in the U.S. who provides oversight on animal welfare practices.
Supplier Audits
Our goal is to work with suppliers who maintain our high standards and share our commitment to animal welfare. We monitor our suppliers on a continuous basis through audits to determine whether they are using procedures that ensure respectful caring for, and handling of, animals they supply to us. Audits are conducted at two levels:
- Farm level - In the U.S., KFC manages a farm-level audit program for the breeding, hatching and raising of poultry. The program exceeds the standards set by the U.S. Chicken Council and the Food Marketing Institute. Beginning in 2005, all of our suppliers completed farm-level audits. This marked the beginning of a continuous, bi-annual audit program for all supplier locations in the U.S. based on standards developed by leading animal welfare experts at the direction of the National Council of Chain Restaurants and the Food Marketing Institute.
- Processing level - In 2000, KFC adopted specific, comprehensive welfare performance standards for processing chickens and audits its suppliers against those standards. The processing guidelines and audits are designed to monitor and manage each step of the process to determine whether the birds supplied to us are handled humanely and their suffering is minimized. KFC audits its suppliers for compliance, with non-compliance potentially resulting in termination of the supplier's contract. We have engaged the Professional Animal Auditors Certification Organization (PAACO) to enhance our auditing standards systemwide in our processing facilities. It is our goal to conduct 100-percent external PAACO audits of our poultry processing facilities in the U.S. in 2008.
For more information on our animal welfare programs, please visit www.kfc.com/about/animalwelfare_principles.asp.