The move forms part of the fast food chain’s plans to source as much as 35% of the products on its UK and Ireland menus locally.
This renewed focus on supporting British poultry farmers will see the brand source 82,700 metric tonnes of domestic chicken per year.
KFC’s homegrown ambitions will also take into account the chickens’ quality of life, with all British chicken served in its restaurants set to be reared with 20% more space than the industry standard.
Marc Hayes, Yum! chief supply chain officer for Europe, said: “At KFC we want to back British farmers and are always looking for opportunities to increase our British sourcing in a balanced sustainable way. I’m delighted that the nation’s favourite Hot Wings will now be British sourced thanks to our expansion with our key supplier 2 Sisters Food Group.
“This is a tough time for the poultry sector across Europe, with avian flu outbreaks pressuring supply, at a time of higher demand. The work that our British partners 2 Sisters Food Group and Pilgrim’s Europe have been doing to drive up chicken welfare against this backdrop is significant. We are proud that we have been able to work with them for all our British chicken to now be reared with 20% more space than the industry average, at 30kg stocking density.”
Wings are consistently one of the chain’s most popular products, with over 164 million sold in the UK last year, equating to more than five a second.
The decision to add chicken wings to its list of locally-sourced products forms part of the extension of KFC’s relationship with poultry specialists 2 Sisters Food Group, which will see it invest an additional £10 million a year for UK sourcing.
According to KFC, all of its British-sourced chicken comes from farms covered by independently verified farming standards and meet higher welfare standards including 30kg stocking density.
Now, KFC UK and Ireland states that only boneless chicken will be sourced from other markets due to insufficient availability of British farmed chicken breasts to meet the demand of UK consumers.
“Our long-standing partnership with KFC is founded on close collaboration and a shared dedication to high welfare standards and this increased commitment to British farming represents a positive and important investment in the future of UK agriculture,” added Ranjit Singh, President of 2 Sisters Food Group.
“The move ensures British farmers are supported to produce high-quality poultry that meets the expectations of both consumers and robust welfare standards.”
