Animal welfare and/or sustainability

Storteboom Fresh in Putten, part of the British 2 Sisters Food Group, is the most animal-friendly poultry slaughterhouse in the Netherlands*. But do they apply sustainable practices as well? General Manager Harm Laros tells us more about making choices and setting priorities.

On the wall of the office adjacent to the modern production location in Putten, we see six large billboards with photos and icons. They represent the core values that are leading for the entrepreneurship of Storteboom. "They make up our DNA profiles", explains Harm Laros. "Everyone who works here knows and applies them: customer-orientation, drive, discipline, result-oriented methods, innovation, and integrity. The meat and fish industry is constantly scrutinised. And that's a good thing because it keeps us all on our toes. It also means that openness and fairness are crucial. 'Integrity linked to transparency', is one of our key concerns. We do what we say and we say what we do", he explains. "We have no secrets for our clients."

Modern system

"We take our responsibility; from egg to consumer", adds Harm while we are all enjoying a cup of coffee. "At the start of the chain, we adopted, for example, 'early feeding' whereby the chickens are hatched in straw instead of in an incubator. They are given food and water very quickly, which is more natural and animal-friendly. Yes, it is also a bit more expensive. And 'caring about animal welfare' can sometimes mean an infringement on 'caring about the environment'. A chicken that lives longer and gets more space does generate a larger CO2 footprint. Nevertheless, animal welfare is an important aspect when we make choices for sustainability. To illustrate this, he takes us to the loading docks. Trucks filled with living chickens are backing up into the dock. A fully automated, modern system unloads the containers in a shock-free manner, without the use of a forklift. The animals are then stunned by a unique gas stunning system that works in 5 stages. "Other than with the most poultry slaughterhouses, the containers are not emptied while the chickens are still alive", says Harm. "We first fully stun the animals and then tip over the containers after which the chickens are processed further."

Chain director

Storteboom calls itself the 'chain director'. What does that mean? Harm: "Everybody working in the chain focuses on his or her own specialist area. In the meantime, we keep control, from the perspective of 'You don't have to own to control'. We set very high quality demands to our suppliers, and to safeguard the quality, we regularly carry out audits ourselves. We produce for top-class buyers and the global export, providing fresh as well as deep-frozen products. None of our clients can afford a scandal. This means that food safety is even more essential than animal welfare and sustainability. In order to guarantee food safety, we constantly carry out control procedures and have a systematic reporting system. We have our own ISO 17025 accredited laboratory". The use of antibiotics has been significantly reduced over the past few years and it is no longer used to prevent diseases but only when the animals are actually sick.

Better utilisation

"A more sustainable production means that we are looking actively to find ways to utilise the whole chicken. For example, by promoting leg meat and manufacturing minced chicken meat products. Together with a number of other poultry slaughterhouses, we launched an autonomous company: Noblesse Proteins. This company specialises in the processing of the by-products of chicken. It produces poultry fats and meal made of feathers, blood, and meat, which has high quantities of high-grade proteins. Manufacturers worldwide use these proteins and fats as fundamental ingredients in, amongst other things, animal feed and fertilisers."

Reduction of energy use

Many years ago, Storteboom signed the Multi-annual energy efficiency (Mja) and the Mja3 covenant; a multi-annual agreement between the government, the industry, and institutions to improve the energy efficiency of products, services, and processes, and to reduce the use of fossil fuels. "We have significantly reduced the amount of water we use and, in Zeewolde, we are setting up a collective in which companies offer roof space for solar panels. Additionally, all our companies have the ISA 14001 certification, meaning that we have taken measures to ensure the lowest possible odour emission and noise nuisance for the local residents."

One of the pillars to meet the Mja3 goals is chain efficiency. "The various links in our chain responded in a fragmented manner to sustainability and logistical improvements", says Harm. "Some companies have taken more measures than others and the chosen solutions differ. Our challenge as a chain director is to connect the links in such a way that the entire chain becomes more sustainable. They can be small improvements, for example by making agreements on the number of transport movements: rather a full load three times a week than six half loads per week."

Client orientation

With a wider range of products and more concepts, Storteboom is able to respond quickly to certain trends. Harm: "What does the client want? Basic or 1-star Beter Leven (Better Life) chicken? Another chicken breed? Free-range or not? We can provide anything based on the client demand. Last summer at the SIAL food exhibition, we introduced the Barnfield brand. We previously provided just raw or frozen products. But after taking over the inventory of a bankrupt company, we have taken the next step and now also deliver prepared products.

The end consumer wants smaller portions. We respond to this development as well, making sure that less meat is thrown away. The consequence of smaller packages, however, is more packaging material. That is why we are looking for sustainable and recyclable materials and solutions. In short: it remains tricky to optimise all the important aspects such as health, food safety, animal welfare, as well as sustainability - including the reduction of waste. It means that you have to make new choices all the time. Our basic principle is: how can we reduce our CO2 footprint while maintaining animal welfare and respond to the client's wishes at the same time".

Fit for the Future

The 'Fit' in the slogan adopted by Storteboom indicates fitness, but also that it needs to fit: with the demands from suppliers, clients, consumers, and the own staff. "We believe that education is very important for sustainable employability of our personnel. Everyone needs to complete a mandatory e-learning module on HACCP and food safety and we also offer training days about, for example, occupational health issues and machine safety. And yes, I regularly participate as well. You are never too old to learn."

"What I find especially interesting about this line of work is that we are at the heart of the chain, with the daily deliveries of living animals on one side and the supply of fresh products on the other", concludes Harm. "Every day is different, it's a dynamic sector. Giving direction to that is what I'm passionate about. And yes, I eat chicken at home several days a week. My most favourite dish?" Harm laughs and thinks for a moment. "I think that I would go for the spicy stir-fried chicken strips."

www.2sistersstorteboom.com

* Storteboom was the only company that reached a 100% score on all four aspects for animal welfare in the compliance monitor for poultry slaughterhouses established by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA - 19-09-2018).