With an information booth at the Federal Party Congress (FDP) in Berlin from 26-28 April, the German poultry industry has brought the, so far missing, origin labelling of poultry meat in the catering industry to the attention of delegates. The balance after three intensive days is very positive: numerous high-ranking FDP representatives were at the poultry industry's booth and were informed by top representatives of the industry on the subject and gained support for the claim.

"At the FDP, it has become clear how consumer-relevant and important the labelling of poultry meat is in catering," said Friedrich-Otto Ripke, president of the ZDG).

"Politicians have understood that it is important for the future of livestock farming in Germany that our high animal welfare standards must not be undermined by cheap imports from countries with much lower standards," he said.

Representative survey: overwhelming majority wants clarity on the menu

Concerning origin labelling in the catering industry, the German poultry industry puts the topic of consumer relevance at the centre of its demands. Unlike in the supermarket, where origin labelling has long since been taken for granted, the corresponding transparency in restaurants, snack bars and canteens is lacking. This contradicts the clear demand of consumers: the overwhelming majority of Germans are asking for clarity on the menu. This is confirmed by a representative survey: 86 percent of consumers want to know where their poultry meat comes from in restaurants, and 84 percent see politics as having a duty to change this information misunderstanding (Kantar Emnid, March 2019).

"Our stand at the FDP Federal Party Congress was a successful start to our pro-sourcing initiative," says ZDG President Ripke, who was supported at the stand by leading representatives of the ZDG committees. During the year, the German poultry industry will continue to seek an intensive exchange with politics. Further stands at party conferences of other parties are planned.