Salling still sells mostly turbo chickens despite phase-out pledge

Nearly two out of three chickens sold at Salling Group’s Bilka, Føtex and Netto stores are still fast-growing “turbo chickens”, despite the retailer’s pledge to phase them out, an investigation by animal welfare group Anima found. DR reported the findings.

Anima reviewed the welfare of chickens sold in supermarkets and ranked Salling Group last among the retailers it assessed, citing the large share of fast-growing birds in its range. Anima communications chief Thorbjørn Schiønning said the problem was that Salling had promised to improve animal welfare but had not followed through.

“Turbo chicken” is a term for a conventional broiler of the Ross 308 breed. The birds grow from 50 grams to two kilograms in about 33 days. Danish production averages 20 turbo chickens per square metre, according to the source cited in the article.

Salling Group said it was facing significant difficulties securing the quantities of higher-welfare chicken it wanted, limiting its ability to speed up the transition. The company said its phase-out ambition remained in place but that it had revised its plans because supply was limited and demand was too low, with customers turning to cheaper alternatives in historically large numbers. It said sales of higher-welfare chicken had increased.

Schiønning disputed the company’s explanation, saying producers had told Anima they were willing to switch to slower-growing chickens but were reluctant to do so without certainty they could sell them. Producers need an order to make the change, which takes about 10 months, he said. Salling Group had promised to phase out turbo chickens over five years, he added.

DR said it was unable to secure an interview with Salling Group and received the company’s response in writing. More than 100 million broiler chickens are produced in Denmark each year, and most are turbo chickens, according to Anima’s report.