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The search for the chicken and the egg
Every day thousands of eggs are used at HMSHost in creating the tastiest omelettes, salads, sandwiches, poached eggs and English breakfasts. But wouldn't those eggs taste even better if we know they derived from a happy chicken? HMSHost International asked itself this question and went looking for the chicken and the egg.
Since November 2018, together with the other partners of the Victoria Trading purchasing organisation, HMSHost has been investing in chicken farm Kipster in the Netherlands. A farm that is committed to a completely circular cycle, aiming for animal welfare of the highest level and for climate-neutral eggs.
An important issue facing humanity is how to feed a growing world population in a fair way. Without overexploiting nature, without excluding people and without mistreatment of animals. Otherwise the environment, animals, farmers, and our children will pay a high price. Ruud Zanders, founder of Kipster, explains that this was the main reason behind the start of the chicken farm: “With Kipster we aim to set up a circular structure within our food system. We feed our chickens only with left overs of products that we as humans no longer eat, such as misfired or broken rusks. In this way our animals contribute to a better environment and we prevent waste. We also raise the roosters for meat production instead of killing them immediately. This farm was created in cooperation with our partners and HMSHost is one of them. Because they purchase our eggs, roosters and chicken meat for the next five years, that gives us sufficient guarantee for the future and we can really get started with the construction of the farm.”
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"By working together with other parties, we can change the market standards as a collective," says Bastiaan van Asten, Vice President of Food & Beverage at HMSHost International. “Moving towards sustainability is not just a passing trend, it is a necessary step in a chain of actions to secure a strong and healthy future for the planet as a whole. We need to be conscious consumers, careful corporates and respectful guardians of the world for the future generations. The sustainability strategy of HMSHost is a translation of the sustainability strategy of Autogrill, our parent company, and through this we focus on the sustainability goals of United Nations.”
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieving a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. In this example from Kipster we combine three goals: less energy consumption, circularity in food and animal welfare.
We all need to step up the fight against food waste. As a group we have a global strategy called ‘Start Somewhere’. Taking many small actions to build a better future. As a leading provider of Food & Beverage at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, we are proud to ensure that guests passing through this key travel hub will be benefiting from the best eggs we can possibly provide.
Just as it is important to us as a company, sustainability is increasingly relevant for our business partners. We work together with our landlords to help contribute to their sustainability goals, shaping a more environmentally responsible future in our industry.
With the projected global increase of food demands, especially on animal protein, we recognise the need to increase our alternative or plant-based menu items, and look at ways to source our product sustainably. Our guests are getting more interested in the background story of our products. It’s not only about the quality of the products, but also the impact they are making. Are we using local products? Are the chickens raised in an animal friendly farm? By investing in Kipster, we meet the highest welfare standard resulting in the eggs labelled as ‘planet proof’.
Ultimately the responsibility to act on food waste and animal welfare lies with all of us. Taking small steps, but taking action. That’s the approach of HMSHost International. Knowing that the thousands of eggs we use every day are derived from 42,000 happy chickens of the Kipster farm, will do justice to the taste.
About HMSHost International
HMSHost is a world leader in creating dining experiences for travel venues, operating international and proprietary brands in more than 120 airports around the globe. Through its HMSHost International division, the company has F&B operations at 43 airports, 35 train stations and 7 shopping malls in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific. HMSHost is part of Autogrill Group – the world’s leading provider of food & beverage services for people on the move. Visit www.hmshost.international for more information and connect with HMSHost International on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.