2024-03-19 05:02:12
Controversial “toe trimming” is being delisted by retailers following exclusive research, citizens’ initiative is now focusing on public procurement and is planning a round table on it
Vienna (OTS) – It was research that caused a stir at the beginning of February and has sparked lively public discussions since then. As the citizens’ initiative “oekoreich” exclusively revealed in its magazine, imported meat is sold in Austria that comes from turkeys whose toes are “melted off” on the first day of life.
The painful procedure using microwave technology, casually called “toe trimming”, is banned in Austria and is not practiced here. Due to imports, for example from the Italian poultry company AIA, such products still end up in the refrigerated shelves of numerous local supermarkets. But not for long.
SPAR & M price list, REWE too?
In response to the oekoreich research, retailers SPAR and MPreis have now announced that they are removing products from their range that were produced using the controversial “toe trimming” method. However, it is not known whether REWE also delists questionable AIA products, such as the “Wudy” sausage.
“It is a great success for us, for the animals and for local agriculture that most trading companies are now fulfilling their responsibility and taking this imported animal cruelty off the shelf. “But public procurement and also the catering industry remain construction sites,” said oekoreich spokesman Sebastian Bohrn Mena.
The armed forces do not respond to inquiries
Although there is an action plan for sustainable procurement, institutions at the local, state and federal levels can still purchase imported animal cruelty with taxpayer money. So far there isn’t even any monitoring, so we don’t know what ends up on the plates in the kitchens of kindergartens, hospitals and retirement homes.
“We don’t even know how much tax money is being used to subsidize foreign animal cruelty. Frozen chicken from Taiwan is supposed to be served in Lower Austrian state kitchens and the armed forces are not even answering our inquiries regarding this. “That has to change,” says Bohrn Mena.
oekoreich speaks with all parties and 3 ministries
The next step is to examine the large area of public procurement. At the same time, oekoreich is also holding intensive discussions with all parliamentary groups and the three ministries (agriculture, health, climate) that are prominently involved in the Sustainable Procurement Action Plan.
The aim is a round table at expert level that will address the question of how to increase the proportion of food produced according to Austrian standards in public kitchens and make this transparent to the public. An appointment should take place before summer.
Questions & Contact:
Initiative oekoreich, +436607038864, initiative@oekoreich.com
1710825308
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