The incredibly well thought-out system has won the maximum 3-star rating of the Dutch welfare group Dieren Bescherming, an accolade that’s usually only given to organic systems.

Waste not, want not

But Rondeel didn’t want to stop at that. In order to push their sustainability effort even further, the groundbreaking enterprise struck a deal with the Dutch sandwich-supplier Qizini, who pledged to use the meat of Rondeel’s ex-laying hens in some of their products.

Qizini, which supplies 3.5 million chicken sandwiches to KLM every year, is known for its ethical credentials – where possible the company uses meat from animals that are raised humanely and strives to source as locally as possible. An incredible 80–90% of Rondeel’s hens, at the end of their laying lives, are used in KLM’s in-flight sandwiches, supplied by Qizini.

As Frank Vos, Qizini’s Commercial Manager, said: “We were very excited about the prospect of being able to offer something a bit different – a product which truly values the life of laying hens, which are raised under such humane conditions. All of the ingredients that go into our sandwiches for KLM use the most natural, local ingredients and through this partnership we are able to use the notion of local farmers to feed the world.”

A model for many

There are currently four Rondeel farms in the Netherlands, but its owners are pushing for the franchise to be sold into many more countries – a move we’d wholeheartedly endorse, for two reasons. Firstly, the scaling up of Rondeel’s humane system would benefit many millions of birds across the world. Secondly, its push to sell the meat of ex-laying hens is an exciting and all-round sensible move, furthering the value of the hens’ lives and providing “ethical” meat for many.

We’d like to end with the words of Roel Verwiel, Food and Beverage Manager at KLM: “We loved the concept of using this chicken meat in our sandwiches”, he said. “It’s one that truly values the hens’ lives and is a great story to tell. By rationalising our on-board food offer and reducing the variety of sandwich flavours we use, we are now able to provide our customers high quality, ethical food at the same cost.”

Fancy a trip to Holland, anyone?

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Ethical Eating at 40,000 Feet