Jan
28
Written by:
ECRA Bloggers
28/01/2009 12:28
Compassion in World Farming has joined Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the Chicken Out! campaign to launch a new initiative to ensure honest labelling. Coinciding with “Chickens, Hugh and Tesco, too” on Channel 4, the so-called ‘Label Watch’ competition was launched on Monday 26 January and will give consumers the possibility to vote the worst chicken label among a selection from UK food retailers. The voting system will be web based and available on http://www.chickenout.tv/label-debate.html. Voting will close on 1 February 2009.
Dr Lesley Lambert, Director of Research and Food Policy for Compassion in World Farming says: “Despite consumers’ determination to purchase higher welfare chicken, some major supermarkets are not keeping up. The reality is that most of the chicken meat sold in our supermarkets comes from chickens which are intensively reared, with scientific studies showing more than a quarter suffer lameness, alongside other major welfare issues such as sudden death syndrome, lung and heart difficulties.”
“However, some food retailers are on a good path: all fresh chicken in The Co-operative, M&S and Waitrose is higher welfare, while Sainsbury’s has committed to moving all their chicken to higher welfare and has just announced that all their Taste the Difference chicken will be free range.”
“Since 2004, eggs boxes must be labelled with the production method. This has lead to a move away from caged eggs. This scheme should be extended to chicken meat.”
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