Calling all chefs: Could you run a Kinder Kitchen?

At Crustacean Compassion, we’re working hard to end the suffering of crabs, lobsters, prawns and other decapod crustaceans in the food supply chain. Now we’re asking the hospitality industry to take poor welfare practices off the menu.  

Through our Kinder Kitchens campaign, we’re calling on chefs, restaurants and food service professionals to step up to the pass and adopt humane practices when it comes to crustaceans. This can be achieved by either improving live handling, storing and slaughter methods, or by switching to frozen/chilled alternatives that come from humane suppliers. By removing inhumane methods from their kitchens, food professionals can improve the lives of millions of animals and serve up better quality, tastier, more ethical food too.  

What is a Kinder Kitchen? A Kinder Kitchen is one that puts compassion at the heart of seafood preparation, whether you work with live crustaceans or not.

As a chef, if you live serve crustaceans, running a Kinder Kitchen means ensuring they are treated humanely at every stage of the supply chain, from sea to plate. That starts from the moment they leave the ocean or pond to the moment they are served. So, like all food businesses, restaurants must make sure that high welfare practices have been used during the capture, transport, storage and handling of the crustaceans they buy. Every step matters. 

While all these steps are essential, one of the most critical responsibilities for chefs working with live crustaceans is ensuring that the animals are killed humanely. 

Of course, any animal destined for our plates must be killed at some stage, but sentient animals deserve to be treated with care and respect, with steps taken to reduce unnecessary suffering. Inhumane slaughter methods are a major welfare concern for crustaceans. Boiled, frozen, dismembered, ‘drowned’ in freshwater, left to suffocate in air, even gassed, all while alive and conscious – these are among the ‘traditional’ ways in which crabs and lobsters continue to be killed in kitchens all over the world.  

These cruel practices aren’t just outdated - they’re avoidable. That’s why we launched the Kinder Kitchens campaign: to help chefs lead the way in transforming how crustaceans are treated in professional kitchens.

There is a better way; scientific evidence supports electrical stunning, followed by immediate killing, as the most humane way to dispatch crabs and lobsters. There is electrical stunning technology available to small businesses who want to treat crustaceans with compassion. And, with the UK government currently reviewing whether these common practices align with existing legislation around the killing of animals, the timer is up for methods that cause avoidable pain and suffering. 

But even if you don’t handle live animals directly, sourcing still matters  

Alternatively, chefs and restaurants may choose to serve only frozen or chilled crustaceans, removing the need to carry out live storage, handling or slaughter in-house. However, even when working with pre-slaughtered products, it remains essential to ensure that high welfare standards have been upheld throughout the supply chain. 

That means asking suppliers the right questions. For example:  

• Have the animals been handled humanely during capture, transport, and storage?  

• If pre-slaughtered, were they killed using humane methods?  

• Have these animals suffered any mutilations? Crabs are often subjected to painful claw nicking or may even have their claws removed while they’re still alive. Prawns bred in aquaculture may have their eyestalks cut or burned off – a cruel process called eyestalk ablation – in an attempt to boost their fertility.  

These practices cause unnecessary suffering and should have no place in a responsible sourcing policy. As seafood buyers, chefs and restaurant professionals need to insist that inhumane practices do not form any part of their supply chain.  

By making informed, compassionate choices, whether through sourcing or in-kitchen practices, chefs can help raise the bar for animal welfare across the industry, and show that great food and great ethics can go hand in hand. 

How to run a Kinder Kitchen? 

Chefs and foodservice businesses can take practical steps to improve crustacean welfare in their kitchens: 

• Insist on high-welfare standards from suppliers: Stay informed about your suppliers’ policies and practices, and communicate your expectations clearly.

• Invest in humane slaughter technology: If working with live crustaceans, use an electrical stunner to ensure animals are humanely stunned before slaughter.

• Switch to frozen or chilled alternatives: If you prefer not to handle live animals, choose pre-slaughtered products from suppliers who follow humane practices.

• Maintain high welfare standards: Ensure that live crustaceans are stored and handled with care to minimise stress and suffering in your kitchen.

• Share your commitment: Tell people what you are doing to care for crustaceans and why it matters.

  
  

Which brings us to… Why run a Kinder Kitchen? 

There are many reasons why running a Kinder Kitchen is the right thing to do, with multiple benefits for the animals, your businesses and your customers.  

• Other food businesses are leading the way: From supermarkets to processors, big names in the grocery industry are cracking down on inhumane practices (check out our latest Snapshot report to find our more). Soon the spotlight will turn to the hospitality industry to follow suit.

• Consumer and media scrutiny is growing: With public awareness on the rise and other sectors taking action on crustacean welfare, there will be no excuse for restaurant kitchens to fall behind.

• Stat on the right side of the law: Ministers are likely to conclude that common ways of killing crustaceans will put many chefs on the wrong side of animal welfare legislation.

• Tell a better sea to plate story: Customers want to eat delicious seafood that fits with their values.

• Boost staff morale: Whether working in the kitchen or at front of house, being able to give reassuring answers to questions about welfare feels good for everyone involved.

We recently gave a free webinar about the Kinder Kitchens campaign and what crustacean welfare issues mean for chefs and restaurants – you can watch here. More advice can be found in our Code of Practice and by joining the free Crustacean Industry Welfare Hub for foodservice professionals.

Societies are built around food and collective culinary experiences, from relaxed family dinners at home to celebratory meals out with friends. So, chefs and restaurants can wield tremendous influence – both practical and cultural – on the ways we source crustaceans and the respect we demand for them. 

There’s nothing tasty about foods that have reached our plates as the result of unnecessary pain and suffering. So, let’s create a better sea-to-plate story and put ethical seafood on the menu at last.  

Ready to make a difference? By running a Kinder Kitchen, you’re not just improving animal welfare, you’re leading your industry toward a more ethical, sustainable future. Whether you're switching to humane suppliers or transforming how live crustaceans are handled in your kitchen, your choices matter. Contact us or join the movement today: sign up to the Crustacean Industry Welfare Hub, and help put compassion on the menu.