Sodexo Will Shift to Cage-Free Eggs by 2025 Amid Industry Animal Welfare Push

By partnering with Humane Society International (HSI), Sodexo becomes one of the first multinationals to recognize that animal welfare is a global issue and has set a timeline to convert to cage-free eggs in both developing and emerging economies.

 

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst about the significance of the Sodexo partnership, a HSI spokesman tells us it signals the way forward for other big businesses to follow suit and convert to cage-free models.

 

“Sodexo’s new policy will impact more than one million hens a year, and sends a clear message to the egg industry globally that cage-free is the way forward. Sodexo and Tesco have both made progress on animal welfare in Europe, and deserve praise for their leadership. Sodexo is expanding its leadership on animal welfare into new markets,” he says.
 
“In the past companies have limited the reach of their animal welfare policies to developed countries in North America and Western Europe, but companies like Sodexo are leading the expansion of these policies to other parts of the world, where consumers also care about animal welfare.”
 
“This is really important because the majority of farm animals already live in these other regions of the world, where most of the growth in farm animal production and consumption is also expected to take place. A single corporate policy in these countries can impact millions of animals.”
 
“Sodexo is one of a growing list of companies working with Humane Society International to expand their cage-free egg policies globally, and we look forward to similar announcements from other companies in the near future.”

 

A growing number of consumers around the world care about animal welfare in food production and its this point that is pushing the demand for companies to ensure supply chains are humane and sustainable with animal treatment a top priority.

 

Although changing a model to cage-free might come with its challenges, Humane Society International believes there are many gains both financially and ethically.

 

“Increasingly, food companies and their investors realize that animal welfare makes good business sense, and are beginning to reap the rewards of improving animal welfare in their supply chains. In many cases applying higher animal welfare standards actually improves economic outcomes for farmers.”

 

“In fact, the International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank Group) has stated that “Businesses that address or enhance animal welfare are likely to win or retain a competitive advantage in the global marketplace by reducing costs due to improved human-animal relationships and other welfare benefits, which can lead to increased productivity;  realizing growing market opportunities for food produced in animal welfare-credentialed systems; and/or  becoming the producer of choice for retailers and consumers concerned with animal health and welfare, food safety and quality, human health, and the environment.”

 

Egg-laying hens are often confined in wire battery cages for their entire lives. These cages are so small the hens can’t even stretch their wings. The use of battery cages is banned or being phased out under EU laws and regulations as well as in five US states, New Zealand and Bhutan.

 

The vast majority of Indian states have also declared the use of battery cages violates the country’s animal welfare legislation and the government is debating a national ban. India is the world’s third largest producer of eggs.

 

Michel Francheschi, Group SVP Supply Management at Sodexo, said: “Our objective is to work collaboratively with our partners to support and contribute to the progressive transformation of the whole industry. We will gather all the actors around the table in order to accompany the conversion and the evolution of the local industry so that by 2025, we will be able to source cage-free eggs from local producers in each country where we operate.”

 

More than 60 food companies, including McDonald’s, Burger King and Walmart, have also announced a complete transition to cage-free eggs in their US supply chains.

 

“Converting to a cage-free strategy allows both companies and their suppliers to stay competitive in a global market that increasingly values animal welfare. We expect that most other companies will soon follow the lead of Sodexo, Unilever, and Grupo Bimbo in adopting a cage-free policy,” adds the HSI spokesman.
 
“Humane Society International’s Farm Animals Department works extensively in emerging and developing markets in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. We have consistently found that consumers in these countries expect multinational companies to provide them the same quality of product, including the same standards of animal welfare, provided to consumers in North America and Western Europe. 

 

“More importantly, individuals and communities everywhere – from small townships in South Africa to bustling metropolises Shanghai – care about animals. Companies that continue to ignore consumer concerns about animal welfare will miss out on economic benefits of adopting higher animal welfare standards.”