Two thirds of chicken isn’t properly labelled across the Netherlands’ biggest supermarket chains.
That means chicken landing on dinner tables across the country could be less ethically-sourced than consumers are led to believe -- with major supermarkets Albert Heijn, Aldi, Jumbo and Lidl all thought to be promoting the sale of chickens raised in the ‘poorest circumstances’.
Our food supply chain is in crisis in the Netherlands, with animal cruelty, unhygienic conditions and needless animal slaughter rife.
If supermarkets can’t hold up their end of the deal and make sure customers know what they’re getting, it’s up to us to make them.
Albert Heijn, Aldi, Jumbo, Lidl: start labelling your products properly so we have a choice!
According to a study by animal protection organisation Wakker Dier, two thirds of chicken products tested in 12 supermarkets did not have any form of quality label. ‘That means supermarkets are promoting the sale of chickens raised in the poorest circumstances,’ they said.
Use of the once-popular ‘Plofkip’, or ‘exploding chicken’ -- so called for its speedy, drug-induced growth -- was down slightly in nearly all major supermarkets, apart from Aldi.
But taking its place as the biggest seller is so-called ‘in between chicken’, which is treated so poorly it doesn’t even receive the ‘Beter Leven’ (Better Living) label.
Right now, consumers wanting to make the ethical choice are stuck between a rock and a hard place -- but if we can get supermarkets to start labelling chickens properly, people will at least know what they are getting. And if labeling improves, conditions will improve as well.
Sign our petition to make sure the major supermarkets start labelling their chicken properly!
We’ve taken on these huge supermarkets before -- when Lidl was found to be throwing huge amounts of food and plastic into bins everyday, over 200,000 SumOfUs members like you stood up to the corporation.
More information
Dutch News. 12 October 1986.