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A whole lot of feathers can fly in two months.
Since Messrs Hugh Fearley-Whittingstall and Jamie Oliver launched their poultry welfare campaign earlier this year, there have been a lot of anecdotal reports about supermarkets running out of free-range birds.
But finally the evidence is clear: the demand for free-range chicken is significantly outstripping supply.
The front of the Independent today is devoted to news that there has been a major shift in shopping habits. According to the article:
Sales of free-range poultry shot up by 35 per cent last month compared with January 2007, while sales of standard indoor birds fell by 7 per cent, according to a survey of 25,000 shoppers by the market research company TNS.
Major supermarkets have confirmed that they have been unable to stock enough, with Tesco announcing it has doubled its order.
A separate article in the Independent quotes Sainsbury’s as saying that sales of free-range chickens are up 50% year-on-year: “It’s also fair to say sales would have been much greater if we had stock to meet demand.”
Finding free range chicken
Why wait for the supermarkets to get their act together? The Free Range Review allows you to search for local producers via postcode.
And if you’re eating on the run, the Channel 4 website has done its homework on where to find free-range chicken sandwiches.
For more ideas, or to show your support for the campaign to turn Britain free-range, visit Chickenout.tv.
IMAGE by Flickr user WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot
HEADER IMAGE by Flickr user Randy Son of Robert
Further information
RELATED ARTICLE: What’s a long egg?
RELATED ARTICLE: Free-range chicken campaign: battered but unbowed
