Waitrose is the latest UK retailer to commit to a significant improvement in broiler chicken welfare across its entire supply.
The supermarket joins Marks & Spencer, Nestlé and Knorr who have also signed up to the Better Chicken Commitment.
Through the commitment, retailers pledge to meet a number of requirements to improve the welfare of meat chickens.
This means that even the cheapest chicken products on the shelves will have been raised to higher standards.
The requirements for the commitment have been drawn up by a partnership of groups, and include the use of higher welfare breeds of chickens and providing more natural light.
It also includes a commitment to make more space, enrichment - such as straw bales and objects to peck at - and perching.
The RSPCA, one of the groups involved in the Better Chicken Commitment, is now urging other supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Aldi, Lidl, Coop and Morrisons to commit to raising welfare standards across their supply chain of chicken by 2026.
More meat chickens are reared each year in the UK than any other land animal.
