Chicken Well-being Standards
Our fans count on DQ® restaurants to deliver wholesome and safe food and treats using sustainable practices, which includes treating animals well. We believe in the humane treatment of animals and we expect our suppliers to comply with all applicable animal husbandry laws and industry best practices that define animal welfare policies and management systems. It is important to us that DQ fans enjoy and feel good about the food and treats they eat.
Our suppliers hatch, raise and harvest chickens in the United States, and we only source chicken from suppliers that meet the following welfare standards.
-
-
-
-
- Cage-free, climate-controlled barns with controlled lighting and ventilation
- 24/7 access to food, water and proper nutrition
- Healthcare monitored by licensed veterinarians
- Proper handling and transportation
- Efforts to reduce stress prior to harvest
- To be harvested using humane practices
-
-
-
Antibiotics
We believe that chickens should be treated humanely, from hatch to harvest, when they are well and when they are ill. While we do not support the routine use of medically important antibiotics, we believe sick animals must be treated appropriately to reduce or end suffering and to control a disease outbreak. When antibiotics are administered by a licensed veterinarian for therapeutic purposes only, they contribute to overall animal well-being.
Auditing
All our chicken suppliers conduct regular third-party audits using auditors certified by the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO) to ensure they meet animal welfare standards. Should a supplier not meet a required standard, we would work with them on an appropriate action plan toward adoption or discontinue working with the supplier.
Cage-free Egg Commitment
In 2016, we made a commitment to require suppliers of shell and liquid eggs and proprietary ingredients to use cage-free eggs by the end of 2025.
We are pleased to announce that we achieved this important milestone in the U.S. and Canada ahead of schedule. This means 100% of shell eggs, liquid eggs, and proprietary DQ ingredients that contain eggs have either converted to cage free or were reformulated to remove eggs as an ingredient.
In our international business outside of the U.S. and Canada, 99% of shell eggs, liquid eggs and proprietary DQ ingredients use cage-free eggs. We are committed to continuing our work with one supplier in one region to source cage-free eggs as an ingredient in one proprietary sauce, which will bring us to 100% globally.
Note: Commitments made in the U.S. apply to chicken suppliers that serve DQ restaurants through Unified Supply Chain Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of International Dairy Queen, and the Dairy Queen Operators’ Cooperative.