Meet Kipster: A new type of farm featuring carbon-neutral eggs

NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. — Kipster, the world’s first carbon-neutral egg farm, began in the Netherlands and has traveled all the way to North Manchester in northern Indiana.

Kroger and MPS Egg Farms partnered with Kipster to bring a revolutionary, sustainable form of egg farming to the United States.

Where can I buy these eggs?

—  At Kroger. Kipster Eggs are sold co-branded with Kroger’s label “Simple Truth.”

“Choosing Simple Truth and Kipster cage-free eggs is an easy way for our customers to help create a more sustainable food system,” said Denise Osterhues, Kroger’s senior director of sustainability and social impact

“The Kipster system aligns with Kroger’s ‘Zero Hunger, Zero Waste’ social and environmental impact plan and mission to advance positive changes for people and our planet.

“We focus on advancing sustainability and animal welfare in ways that also help maintain access to fresh, affordable foods for everyone.”

Six Ways Kipster Is Transforming Egg Farming

1. Certified carbon neutral — Kipster achieves carbon neutrality by first reducing its greenhouse gas emissions internally as much as possible. Any remaining emissions are then offset by supporting external carbon reduction projects.

2. A revolutionary vision of poultry farming — By using upcycled feed, Kipster aims to avoid using land to grow crops for their chickens. They eat a newly developed feed that is made of surplus and byproducts from crop and food processing, such as oat hulls and faulty pasta products. The resulting upcycled feed has a carbon footprint that’s about half that of conventional layer chicken feed.

3. Better animal welfare — The farm’s futuristic form follows its function of allowing chickens to roam outside or in an indoor playground filled with daylight and fresh air. With such a varied and enriched environment, beaks do not need to be trimmed.

4. Raising roosters — The male chicks born into the system are an unwanted byproduct because they, obviously, can’t lay eggs. Around 300 million one-day-old roosters are killed every year in the United States. At Kipster, the brothers of the layers are raised in more friendly homes before being sent to a slaughterhouse for human consumption.

5. Clean air — The Kipster farm is the first in the United States to wash the air that leaves the barns. This removes dust, odor, ammonia and other undesirable particles. Before the air leaves the barn, its heat is recovered by a heat pump, which preheats incoming fresh air. Combined with the innovative ventilation system in the barn, this lowers emissions significantly and creates a better in-house climate.

6. Transparency — There is a 24/7 livestream of the Kipster farm available online. There is also a farm visitor center in North Manchester where anyone can learn about the farm. Learn more at www.kipster.farm.