Paper short abstract:

The establishment of Optigal and Micarna fundamentally changed how chicken was produced, processed, retailed, and consumed in Switzerland from the 1960s onwards. Studying these companies allows a view into the transformation of the food system in Switzerland from various different perspectives.

Paper long abstract:

Around 1960 the Swiss supermarket chain Migros established two daughter companies that transformed the chicken industry of Switzerland in the following years. Optigal, a broiler production company, and Micarna, an industrial slaughterhouse, fundamentally changed how chickens were produced and processed as well as the waste products of chicken production disposed. Through these companies, Migros was able to produce broilers at a competitive price, while still maintaining an image of practising traditional agriculture. This was achieved through a quasi-vertically integrated production model that centralized the feed production as well as the slaughter, processing, and the distribution of chickens under the Migros, but crucially outsourced the fattening of the birds to contracted smallholders. Over the course of just a few years, Migros was able to take over more than 40% of the broiler production in Switzerland. This scaling up of the broiler production with the continuously rising consumption during the following 1960s and 1970s fundamentally changed the chicken’s role in the Swiss food system.

By studying the Migros, Micarna, and Optigal as a junction of production, processing, retailing, and disposal, I am able to examine the central transformation of the Swiss poultry industry during the second half of the 20th century. This allows me to answer questions regarding the upscaling after 1960 and the impact it had on the health of humans, animals, and the environment, bringing together perspectives from agricultural, medical, and environmental history. Thereby gaining a holistic understanding of the Swiss food system during the 20th century.