Sunny side up: Asia picking up on trend of cage-free eggs
More Asian food companies are transitioning to cage-free eggs in response to concerns about animal welfare, a recent report from an international animal protection agency shows.
Sinergia Animal said its recent survey of 50 egg producers in India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand showed that 35 have opted to let their laying hens run free.
Phichamon Thamasook, Sinergia’s corporate communications manager, pointed out that Asia is the world’s largest egg producer with a capacity of 1 billion eggs per year, but most laying hens are raised in battery cages.
“This raising method is very cruel,” she said, adding that battery cages have been banned in Europe, Canada, New Zealand and nine US states.
She explained that battery cages prevent laying hens from moving naturally like perching, nesting, dust bathing and stretching.
Over the past decade, 2,300 food companies worldwide have stopped sourcing eggs from battery farms, she said. However, she said, food companies in Asia are also committing to cruelty-free practices and hopes this trend will continue.
