Who or what is the ‘Beter Leven’ chicken actually better for?

Earlier, we wrote rather delightedly about the news that from 2023 onwards, there would be no fresh chicken in supermarkets in the Netherlands without at least one star from the Beter Leven quality mark. But since that decision was implemented, stories have also emerged from people who mainly see it as a nice story for show, and say that the disadvantages are being underestimated. So what’s the deal?

Because what we as consumers might see as an improvement is not a step forward or in the interests of the environment for everyone in the poultry chain…

Happier chicken

At first glance, it’s news that should make you happy: no more factory-farmed chicken in the supermarket, but meat from chickens that have had a better life. Only, that change had already largely taken place in 2016. That was when poultry farmers, commissioned by or in consultation with the major supermarket chains, stopped supplying factory-farmed chickens for the consumer market and began keeping chickens with more space and access to the outdoors. At Jumbo, this resulted in Nieuwe Standaard Kip, and at Albert Heijn in Goed Nest Kip—these are the supermarkets’ own labels.

Thoroughly investigated

Following the announcement about 2023, investigative journalists from the independent platform Follow The Money delved into the world of the poultry chain and interviewed various parties. What it appears to come down to is that, although there will be an improvement in the living conditions of the chickens (but not as significant as when the switch was made away from factory-farmed chicken, according to Ingrid de Jong, senior poultry researcher at Wageningen University & Research), the impact on the environment may be much greater.

Not involved

There is also the complaint from some chicken farmers that this requires investments that can run into the hundreds of thousands, while they were not involved in the decision and only found out what the requirements were after the supermarkets made their announcement.

It’s an interesting article, which also includes the responses from various parties. Read the full story here. Take some time for it if you can, and you’ll immediately be up to date on the possible downsides of what otherwise seems—or seemed—to be a positive step.

Also read:

• Albert Heijn launches its own brand of vegetarian chicken fillet
• Angry cheese farmers: our cheese really is better than chicken nuggets!
• Yuck: fried chicken turns out to be a baked towel

Source: Follow The Money