On Sunday, PETA announced that KFC Canada had agreed to begin phasing in purchases of chickens from suppliers using controlled-atmosphere killing (CAK) as a means of slaughter, until 100 percent of its suppliers are CAK companies.

KFC Canada is owned by a different company than KFC in the United States. The Canadian company, Priszm, oversees 461 locations; that is not, however, all of the KFC stores in Canada. By contrast, in the U.S., KFC has about 4,500 stores.

PETA said in a statement on its Web site that negotiations with KFC Canada were ongoing for several months before the weekend's announcement. As part of its agreement with PETA, KFC Canada also will:

• Add a vegan faux-chicken item to the menu of all 461 Priszm-owned KFC restaurants (more than half of all the KFCs in Canada).
• Improve its animal welfare audit criteria to reduce the number of broken bones and other injuries suffered by birds.
• Urge its suppliers to use better lighting, lower stocking density and ammonia levels, and to phase out growth-promoting drugs and breeding practices.
• Form an animal welfare advisory panel to monitor the changes and recommend further advancements.

PETA is calling off its "Kentucky Fried Cruelty" campaign against KFC Canada, but is continuing its PR battle with KFC in the United States.

By Lisa M. Keefe on 6/2/2008 for Meatingplace.com