MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the past 49 years, Popeyes® high quality chicken has been appreciated by renowned chefs who understand its traditional techniques of freshly breading, then hand battering, and marinating its chicken for 12 hours in bold Louisiana seasonings. Today, Popeyes® is proud to announce new food quality commitments for the next 5 years as part of the Restaurant Brands for Good sustainability plan, giving guests even more reasons to Love that Chicken from Popeyes®. The commitments are part of the brand’s work to serve responsibly sourced, high quality and great tasting food every day while continuously working to reduce its environmental footprint.
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Real Ingredients
Popeyes® is working on removing colors, flavors and preservatives from artificial sources from fried chicken menu items in the U.S. by the end of 2022, starting with its famous Popeyes® Chicken Sandwich. -
Antibiotics
Popeyes® is eliminating antibiotics important to human medicine1 from their chicken supply chain in the US and Canada by the end of 2021. This new sourcing policy supports the brand’s approach to animal welfare which includes supplier guidance on the responsible use of antibiotics in food animals. Popeyes will be working closely with suppliers to implement the new policy in their chicken supply chain throughout the year. -
Cage-Free Eggs
Popeyes® has committed to using 100% cage-free eggs including whole eggs, liquid eggs, egg products and egg ingredients. The brand is committed to using 100% cage-free eggs in all corporate-run and franchisee-operated restaurants in North America, Western Europe & Latin America by the end of 2025. These markets represent the vast majority, nearly 99%, of our global egg requirements. In other regions that currently represent around 1% of our global egg volume, we are committed to using 100% cage-free eggs by the end of 2030 or earlier. -
Removal of EPS Foam & Transition to Sustainable Palm Oil
From a packaging perspective, this year Popeyes® is removing all approved EPS foam cups globally and replacing them with paper cups. The brand is working towards implementing requirements for all approved fiber-based packaging to come from certified2 or recycled sources globally, by the end of 2021. Lastly, Popeyes® now sources palm oil (both directly sourced and for all branded food products with greater than 1% palm oil or palm kernel oil as an ingredient)which is RSPO Mass Balance certified or covered by RSPO certification or credits for its entire menu globally, per the brand’s Palm Oil Sourcing Policy. The commitment to contribute to the production of certified sustainable palm oil is part of Popeyes® ambition to support deforestation-free supply chains.
“We have been marinating our chicken for 12 hours in bold Louisiana seasonings since our inception in 1972, ensuring high-quality food is served to our guests with every order made. Popeyes® has always prioritized quality over time, speed and efficiency. We don’t cut corners,” said Sami Siddiqui, President of Popeyes® Americas. “Committed to furthering our dedication to quality, we are thrilled to serve our guests our famous, delicious chicken, but now with real, more responsibly-sourced ingredients, and in more environmentally friendly packaging.”
To celebrate these milestones, today Popeyes® launched Inside the Kitchen, a new TV campaign which highlights real employees and gives consumers a behind the scenes look at the real preparation process that results in the delicious food everyone knows and loves. The new TV campaign can be viewed here.
To learn more about Popeyes sustainability efforts please visit quality.popeyes.com.
About Popeyes®
Founded in New Orleans in 1972, Popeyes® has more than 45 years of history and culinary tradition. Popeyes® distinguishes itself with a unique New Orleans style menu featuring spicy chicken, chicken tenders, fried shrimp, and other regional items. The chain's passion for its Louisiana heritage and flavorful authentic food has allowed Popeyes® to become one of the world's largest chicken quick service restaurants with over 3,300 restaurants in the U.S. and around the world. To learn more about the brand, please visit the Popeyes® brand website at www.popeyes.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
1 As defined by the World Health Organizaton
2 Certified sources defined as sources certified by at least one of the following certification bodies: Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) or Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).
