Panago Pizza announces new animal welfare policy

Panago Pizza has joined has joined other Canadian chains like Boston Pizza, Chipotle, Tim Hortons, Burger King and Pita Pit in committing to new animal welfare standards.

The commitment comes in an effort to reduce suffering for hundreds of thousands of chickens raised for meat.

The ‘Better Chicken Commitment’ implements an industry-leading set of standards that includes:

• Ending extreme crowding and providing each chicken more floor space
• Transitioning to using only chicken breeds with measurably improved welfare outcomes, as most chickens raised for meat are bred to grow so large so fast that many cannot walk without pain
• Keeping chicken litter clean enough to prevent eye sores, flesh burns, and respiratory distress
• Improving lighting to decrease illness and disease
• Ending live-shackle slaughter and instead utilizing controlled-atmosphere stunning

Panago already sources 100% cage-free eggs and is now turning its attention to improve animal care standards for pigs and cows in its supply chain.

“With this public commitment, Panago has taken a significant step to establish itself as a leader on animal welfare issues,” said Colombe Nadeau-O’Shea, corporate relations specialist with Mercy For Animals.

“It is time for other major fast-casual chains, like Freshii, to follow Panago’s lead by adopting the Better Chicken Commitment and banning from their supply chains some of the cruellest practices inflicted on chickens.”

Panago’s new animal welfare policy will cover every single one of the pizza chain’s more than 200 locations across Canada.