The holiday season is in full swing. Many travelers travel by plane, but even more with their own car or with coaches and/or long-distance buses. At some point the hunger comes and often motorway rest stops are driven to. These are notorious for not being exactly a bargain in terms of prices. Now criticism comes from a completely different side, namely from the animal protection association "Four Paws".

Among other things, the organization criticizes the fact that the largest Austrian suppliers often advertise that the food is of regional origin, but they are said to have been extremely taciturn to Four Paws when asked about the origin and husbandry conditions of the animal food used.

Only McDonalds, Burger King and Rosehill Foodpark (formerly Rosenberger) are said to have answered the request for information at all. According to Four Paws, the other providers should not have responded to such inquiries at all. The organization draws the following conclusion: “There are no meals with organic food, all come from conventional husbandry. Only part of the beef from the three operators comes from Austria; in the case of chicken and pork, either the country of origin is not specified or the product comes from abroad. Dairy products at McDonald's and Rosehill mostly come from Austria; At Burger King, the milk itself comes from Austria, but all dairy products come from abroad. Eggs and egg products generally come only partly from Austria and almost exclusively from barn farming”.

The animal protection organization also criticized the fact that the answers received were not said to have been particularly precise. As an example, McDonald's stated that the origin of cheese was "global". "Europe" was declared for the chicken. In unison, all providers would not have commented on the keeping conditions of the livestock.

The providers Landzeit, Oldtimer, Marché and Mövenpick would not have responded to the inquiries at all. In general, it would be rather meager when it came to vegan dishes, because according to Vier Pfoten they would be completely missing from the menu at Rosehill. The organization calls for better labeling, for example in the menu cards, and a more open approach to the origin of the food. After all, many providers advertise with regional offers.

"It is really incomprehensible that the service area operators are so opaque and do not provide information about their offer even when asked several times. Customer friendliness definitely looks different. But of course no answer is also an answer. We therefore have to assume that their food does not exactly meet high quality standards," says Veronika Weissenböck, campaign manager for Four Paws.