Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Animal welfare information is being expanded
Dairy products receive labels
Many meat and sausage products are already provided with information in the food retail trade, which gives consumers general information on animal husbandry. In the future, the label will also be available for goods such as milk, yoghurt and cheese.
From January onwards, large grocery retailers in Germany will begin to show how animals are kept on their milk and dairy products. The Rewe Group announced that it would gradually introduce the four-stage husbandry label, previously only known for meat and meat products, in the new year in both Rewe supermarkets and in the Group’s own discount chain Penny. The company started with organic milk. The same thing announced the large-scale discounter Kaufland, which belongs to the Schwarz Group.
The identification is then printed on, among other things, yoghurt and cheese packaging. Thanks to the type of husbandry labeling, consumers can see at a glance how high the animal welfare level is when keeping dairy cows when shopping. The four housing levels differentiate between stable housing, stable housing plus, outdoor climate and premium. Among other things, they indicate how much space is available to the animals and whether they are only kept in the barn or whether they also have access to outside areas, the open-air area or pastures. In addition, the labels also make statements about the ways in which the animals can be employed.
The step does not come as a surprise. The food retail companies involved in the Animal Welfare Initiative agreed last summer that, from 2022, milk and dairy products such as cheese and yoghurt can also be labeled with the husbandry label.