UK celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has raised the GBP86,000 (US$168,400) charge required to bring a resolution on chicken welfare standards before the upcoming Tesco AGM.
Fearnley-Whittingstall hopes to force Tesco to either withdraw claims that it supports animal welfare or adopt the minimum standards on chicken welfare supported by the RSPCA.
However, Tesco had said Fearnley-Whittingstall failed to meet the deadline to submit resolutions. The company told just-food that it was unwilling for its investors to fund Fearnley-Whittingstall’s “publicity stunt”.
“We have received the funds from Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall and we are currently discussing the resolution with him,” a spokesperson for the retailer told just-food today (11 June).
Fearnley-Whittingstall raised the amount needed through an online auction and donations made by the public in just two days.

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By GlobalData“This is not just about animal welfare – it raises the question of how huge public corporations communicate with and hold themselves accountable to their shareholders and customers,” he said.