Sodexo has committed to sourcing only cage-free eggs across its global business by 2025.
The foodservice operator said the commitment marked a major step forward in its animal welfare strategy and pledged to work with local producers, NGOs and the relevant authorities to achieve the conversion to cage-free eggs.
Sodexo already sources 100% cage-free eggs in a number of countries including Belgium, Germany and Switzerland as part of national commitments made under its Better Tomorrow Plan. In the UK, all eggs are British Lion certified although this does not guarantee they are cage-free.
“For a company like Sodexo, with operations in 80 countries at more than 32,000 sites, and who sources approximately a quarter of a billion shell eggs worldwide on an annual basis, addressing animal welfare is a significant undertaking, due to the complexities of our supply chain and differences in agriculture practices around the world,” said Neil Barrett, Sodexo Group SVP sustainable development.
Compassion in World Farming said Sodexo’s move sent a strong signal to the food industry that the end of the cage in modern, humane farming systems is inevitable and urged other international companies to follow suit.
Sodexo joins supermarket chains Tesco, Aldi and Iceland in recently committing to go 100% cage-free.
In related news, a report published this week by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) into egg safety has shown a major reduction in the risk from salmonella in UK eggs.