25 June 2026, Vienna: DO & CO, a provider of airline, hospitality and event catering services, has introduced a new animal welfare policy covering poultry, pigs, seafood and other animal-derived ingredients across its global supply chain, with full implementation targeted by 2030.
The company serves more than 180 million meals annually across 12 countries in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia. Its catering operations support major airlines, including British Airways, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Iberia, Etihad Airways, Austrian Airlines, Aeroméxico, Turkish Airlines and JetBlue, as well as sports venues, restaurants, hotels and retail food outlets.
Under the policy, poultry suppliers will be required to comply with the standards of the European Chicken Commitment (ECC) or Better Chicken Commitment (BCC). These standards include lower stocking densities, environmental enrichment measures such as perches and pecking materials, improved lighting and litter conditions, and specified slaughter requirements.
Astrid Duque, Sustainability Program Director at Lever Foundation, which supported the development of the policy, said the initiative establishes welfare requirements for chickens and other animals within the company’s supply chain and could encourage wider adoption across the catering and travel food service sectors.
For pig production, the policy prohibits the use of gestation crates and sow stalls, phases out farrowing crates, bans routine tail docking, requires anesthesia during castration procedures, and calls for litter and enrichment materials that support natural behaviours such as rooting and nesting.
The seafood provisions apply to both farmed and wild-caught species. Farmed fish and crustacean suppliers must meet standards such as RSPCA Assured, Global Animal Partnership or Naturland certifications, covering stocking density, environmental conditions, handling and slaughter practices. The policy also requires regular monitoring of water quality, disease and mortality rates, while prohibiting practices such as eyestalk ablation in crustaceans.
For wild-caught seafood, DO & CO will restrict sourcing from fisheries that result in significant bycatch or animal welfare concerns and will seek to reduce the time aquatic animals spend out of water during handling and processing.
The policy also encourages the increased use of plant-based ingredients across the company’s operations. Chefs are directed to incorporate more plant-based protein sources, including lentils, chickpeas, beans, pea protein, tempeh, tofu and plant-based dairy alternatives, where suitable, as part of broader efforts to diversify menu offerings.
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