Chicken in British supermarkets ‘linked to deforested Amazon’
A new investigation into industrial poultry farming in Brazil claims that chicken fed with corn and soya beans grown on deforested land or with unclear origins is ending up on British dinner plates and supermarket shelves.
The joint investigation by Reporter Brasil and Ecostorm, published today, once again highlights how global food chains are linked to mounting deforestation in a nation that is home to some of the world’s most important biomes and food producers.
The investigation claims that suppliers of soya beans and corn used to feed chicken produced by the American food processing company JBS were linked to deforested areas in the Amazon and the Cerrado, the vast swathe of grasslands, swamps, and savannahs located to the east and south.
“This investigation shows that the purchasing procedures applied have blind spots and still cannot fully prevent mechanisms of grain laundering,” it said.
JBS told Reporter Brasil that it requires its grain suppliers meet high standards and are signatories to the Soy Moratorium.
JBS is the world’s biggest meat firm and exports Brazilian beef, pork and chicken to companies across the globe, including in Europe, China and the Middle East. Seara, a subsidiary it bought in 2013, produces more than 5 million chickens a day from its 9000 poultry farms across the South American nation.
Seara chicken, which is sold both whole, and as cuts and processed parts, has supplied to some of the world’s biggest supermarket giants and popular fast-food chains.
The UK imported at least $500m of Seara products over the last three years, research has shown, with customers including wholesalers, food service and food processing companies, some of which in turn supply schools, hospitals, care homes and
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