Austrian origin of meat important for three quarters and animal welfare for two thirds of those surveyed
With the initiative "Fair zum Tier" (Fair to Animals), BILLA has set itself the goal of further improving the living and husbandry conditions of domestic farm animals and establishing standards that are significantly above the legal level with the largest animal welfare range in Austria in the future.
From October 2022, BILLA will offer Austria's largest range of fresh meat with the animal welfare label "Fair zum Tier" and the organic own brand "Ja! Natürlich" (Yes! Of course), which guarantees more animal welfare.
More than half (55 %) of the respondents think that meat dishes are an important part of the Austrian food culture and for 42 % a good piece of meat is part of a proper meal. About two thirds (63 %) of the people in this country describe themselves as meat eaters, a quarter (25 %) as flexitarians - in other words, they consciously limit their meat consumption and rarely eat meat or only eat certain qualities of meat. On average, a cooked meat dish is served in Austrian households on three out of seven days.
According to the BILLA Austria Report, the quality and origin of animal products also play a decisive role for Austrians: 65% pay attention to animal welfare when shopping - i.e. that meat, eggs or milk come from animal husbandry appropriate to the species. It is important to 76% that the meat comes 100 % from Austria.
"Transparency regarding the origin of our products is an important concern for us at BILLA. On the one hand, our customers can trust that our entire range of fresh meat and poultry, including turkey, comes 100% from Austria. On the other hand, our animal welfare seal 'Fair zum Tier' guarantees living and husbandry conditions for domestic farm animals that are significantly above the legal level and, as an organic pioneer, our own brand 'Ja! Natürlich' has been committed to species-appropriate animal husbandry since the beginning," explains Erich Szuchy, BILLA CEO responsible for category management and purchasing.
BILLA for more animal welfare
As part of the initiative "Fair zum Tier", BILLA is committed to further improving the living and husbandry conditions of domestic farm animals with what will in the future be Austria's largest animal welfare range and to establishing significantly higher standards than those prescribed by Austrian animal welfare laws for the keeping of farm animals. Already about 50 own-brand products from conventional animal husbandry - from milk and eggs to meat and sausage - are labelled with the "Fair zum Tier" animal welfare seal. The 170 local farms with which the BILLA family cooperates here guarantee more space for the animals, improved comfort in the barn through littered lying areas, species-appropriate employment material as well as daylight and fresh air through additional windows, runs or pasture. Furthermore, attention is paid to high-quality and GMO-free feed as well as short transport routes for the benefit of the animals and the climate.
The organic own brand "Ja! Natürlich" also stands for species-appropriate husbandry and animal welfare without compromise. Currently, about 15 sausage products and 80 meat products from poultry, pork, beef, veal and lamb are offered in organic quality in the service counters at BILLA and BILLA PLUS*.
Fresh meat and poultry 100% from Austria and from species-appropriate animal husbandry.
Since spring 2020, BILLA customers have been able to rely on the fact that 100% of the fresh meat, including chicken and turkey, comes from Austria. For about a year now, the serving areas and refrigerated shelves at BILLA PLUS have been stocked exclusively with turkey, chicken, beef and pork from local farms. This makes BILLA the only food retailer in the country to source fresh meat and poultry, including turkey, from Austrian farms, regardless of the price segment.
In addition, from October 2022, selected BILLA and BILLA PLUS stores will exclusively serve fresh meat including chicken and turkey meat in "Fair zum Tier" quality or from "Ja! Natürlich". The animal welfare offer is gradually being extended to other locations. Customers can thus be sure to choose products that meet significantly higher animal welfare standards.
About the BILLA Austria Report
The market and opinion research institute marketmind was commissioned by BILLA to survey a total of 3,013 women and men aged between 18 and 65 on various topics, including meat consumption and shopping habits, between the 2nd and 22nd November 2021.
*) Some of these items are only available on pre-order.
