Regenerative Organic Certified Comparison
Learn how the Regenerative Organic Certified standards compare to the BCC.
Regenerative Organic Certified
Regenerative Organic Certified requires additional third-party animal welfare certification under one of the following standards: Global Animal Partnership Step 4, Certified Humane, or Animal Welfare Approved by AGW.
Regenerative Organic Alliance does not meet BCC standards for slaughter. Please see below for more details, or download the full chart.
| Better Chicken Commitment | Regenerative Organic Certified | |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum Stocking Density | 6 lbs/sq ft | ✅ 6 lbs/sq ft |
| Litter | At least 3 inches of friable litter covering the whole floor of the house, managed to maintain dry, friable condition and prevent caked or wet areas | ✅ Dry friable litter provided indoors and chickens must have continuous and open access to pasture. |
| Lighting | Minimum 8 hours of continuous light (≥50 lux) and 6 hours of continuous darkness daily (<1 lux) | ✅ Natural light must be sufficient indoors on sunny days, so an inspector can read and write when all lights are off. A minimum period of 8 hours |
| of continuous darkness must unless located in geographies with less than 8 hours of darkness at night | ||
| Enrichments | For every 1,000 sq ft (93 sq m), or part 1000 sq ft (93 sq m) of indoor space there must be a minimum of 1 enrichment | ✅ Indoor enrichments and continuous pasture access required. |
| Slaughter | Process chickens in a manner that avoids pre-stun handling and instead utilizes a multi-step controlled- atmosphere processing system that induces an irreversible stun | ❌ Pre-shackle, multi-step controlled atmosphere stunning can be used for poultry slaughter, but is not required. |
| Breed | Adopt breeds that demonstrate higher welfare outcomes, either: Hubbard Norfolk Black, JA757, JACY57, JA787, JA957, JA987, JACY87, REDBRO, or Redbro M; Aviagen Rambler Ranger, Ranger Classic, Ranger Gold, Ranger Premium, or Rowan Ranger; Cobb-Sasso 200 (CS200); Cooks Venture Pioneer, or others that meet the criteria of the RSPCA Broiler Breed Welfare Assessment Protocol or Global Animal Partnership (GAP). | ✅ Breeds must be selected that demonstrate higher welfare outcomes and have the genetic growth potential of no more than .12 lbs (55g) per day. |
| Auditing | Demonstrate 100% compliance with all standards via third-party auditing | ✅ 100% compliance with the specified ROC criteria and also maintaining animal welfare certification under Global Animal Partnership Step 4+, Animal Welfare Approved, or Certified |
References
Please note: This document is not intended to be used for official purposes such as auditing. It is a general summary of the key components of the Better Chicken Commitment and Regenerative Organic Certified standards. For the complete official standards, please reference the resources below:
- The Better Chicken Commitment policy
- Global Animal Partnership (GAP) standards referenced in the Better Chicken Commitment
- Regenerative Organic Certified standards