Some chicken products now sold in French supermarkets feature a new logo labeled "Animal Welfare – Committed Agricultural Sector." This logo, introduced in early September by the LDC group, France's leading poultry company, aims to highlight improved animal welfare standards. The logo includes a white chicken with a blue outline and a red heart, accompanied by the text "Animal Welfare – Committed Agricultural Sector." It is used by the collective Committed Agricultural Sector, which represents over 1,300 chicken breeders and nearly 20% of France’s total chicken production. According to the promoters of the logo, it guarantees five key aspects of animal welfare. These include raising chickens in coops with natural light, providing them with 10% more space than the European Union’s legal limit, equipping buildings to encourage natural behaviors, maintaining strict sanitary standards, and offering training for breeders and staff on animal care. The collective claims these measures go beyond current regulations, aiming to create a more humane standard for chicken farming. The initiative draws some inspiration from the European Chicken Commitment (ECC), a 2017 initiative by European animal protection groups aimed at ending the worst practices in chicken farming and slaughter. LDC, the poultry giant behind the new logo, had previously committed to meeting the ECC’s criteria by 2028. However, animal welfare organizations criticize the new logo for omitting two key ECC requirements: reducing chicken density to 30 kg per square meter (equivalent to 15 chickens per square meter) and banning the use of fast-growing strains, known as "turbo-chickens." Current EU regulations allow up to 38 kg per square meter, and many French breeders use exemptions to reach 42 kg per square meter. The new logo highlights a 10% increase in space, but this is based on the assumption that breeders are already using these exemptions. The collective defending the logo argues that it aims to promote continuous improvement in animal welfare and maintain competitiveness in the market. They note that French chicken faces competition from non-European countries with less stringent welfare standards. They also claim that the logo does not guarantee outdoor access for chickens, as some labeled chickens may have lived their entire lives indoors. Meanwhile, animal protection groups warn that the proliferation of such logos without clear, science-based criteria risks undermining public trust in animal welfare claims. They advocate for a standardized label, introduced in 2019, which provides a clear welfare score and breeding method, developed with input from scientists and NGOs. This label, used by 15% of French chicken production and 40% of breeders in 2025, sets specific thresholds for what constitutes acceptable animal welfare.