MIAMI – Popeyes announced new food quality commitments for the next five years in support of the brand's efforts to serve responsibly sourced and high-quality food. The new quality and sustainability commitments are part of the Restaurant Brands for Good initiative which focuses on reducing the company’s environmental footprint, supporting communities and serving high-quality food. Restaurant Brands International is the parent company of Popeyes.

As part of the new commitments, Popeyes is working toward removing colors, flavors and preservatives from artificial sources from fried chicken menu items in the United States by the end of 2022, starting with its Popeyes Chicken Sandwich.

The brand also is eliminating antibiotics important to human medicine from its chicken supply chain in the United States 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,” the company said. “Popeyes will be working closely with suppliers to implement the new policy in their chicken supply chain throughout the year.”

Next, Popeyes committed to using 100% cage-free eggs — including whole eggs, liquid eggs, egg products and egg ingredients — in all corporate-run and franchisee-operated restaurants in North America, Western Europe and Latin America by the end of 2025. The company said the markets represent the majority of the chain’s 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,” Popeyes said.

Finally, the brand pledged to remove all approved EPS foam cups globally and transition to sustainable palm oil.

“The brand is working towards implementing requirements for all approved fiber-based packaging to come from certified or recycled sources globally, by the end of 2021,” Popeyes said. “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 company said it is committed to contribute to the production of certified sustainable palm oil in support of 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.”