February 28, 2008

UK's factory-farmed chicken sales stumbles while free-range soars

Sales of factory-farmed chickens in the UK fell 7 percent on year in January, while sales of free-range chickens increased 35 percent, The Independent reports Thursday (February 28, 2008) citing TNS research.

The newspaper says the shift in consumer habits has coincided with a campaign highlighting "the short and brutal lives of broiler birds." Extrapolated across the UK, the data translates 10 million fewer sales of factory-farmed chickens in January compared with the same period a year earlier.

Tesco PLC (TSCO.LN) has doubled its order for free-range birds, the newspaper says, while J. Sainsbury PLC (SBRY.LN) has called the demand spurt "unprecedented."