Groups of companies in the hospitality sector have recently committed to shift to sourcing eggs from cage-free chickens.
The 2023 Philippines Hospitality Industry Cage-Free Egg Scorecard, a report by the Lever Foundation, finds that 76% or 22 of 29 hospitality groups have either completely transitioned or have completed plans to use exclusively free-range eggs.
City of Dreams, Okada Manila, Solaire Resort and Casino and Balesin Island Club have all completed the shift to cage-free eggs.
Hotel groups that have set a timeframe for the transition are Ascott Philippines, Federal Land GT, SM Hotels and Convention Centers, Araneta Hotels, Robinsons Hotels & Resorts, Alphaland Corporation, Megaworld, Bellevue Hotels & Resorts, Shangri-La Philippines, and Newport World Resort.
“These pledges by the majority of Filipino hospitality groups follow similar commitments previously issued by international groups operating in the Philippines including Accor, Best Westerns Hotels, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, Millennium Hotels and Resorts, Radisson, The Peninsula, Wharf Hotels and Wyndham,” the Lever Foundation says in the report.
Lever is an NGO that focuses on safer protein sourcing.
The list has some room for expansion, as nine major hotel groups have yet to release a plan to source cage-free eggs
Why it matters
Free-range animal products are considered to encourage less cruel practices and are safer for consumers compared ot battery cage egg production, which harms animals’ way of living, thus making them more vulnerable to diseases.
“On battery cage egg farms, hens are confined for their entire lives in cages so small they can barely turn around and cannot express their natural behaviors,” the foundation explains.
Salmonella is one such risk factor. European Food Safety Authority and other institutions find in research that caged egg farms are up to 25 times more susceptible to key strains of the bacteria.
While the Philippines is yet to ban battery cage egg production, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and parts of the United States, Australia and India have already done so.
Petitions for restaurants
The Open Wing Alliance, a global coalition focused on farm animal welfare, released a petition on Sunday, May 23, demanding that the Jollibee Group, a global food giant, to release its program for cage-free egg sourcing that will apply to all their sub-brands.
“The Open Wing Alliance is asking Jollibee’s parent company, Jollibee Group, to make a global cage-free egg commitment that will apply to all brands in its portfolio which include Smashburger, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Red Ribbon, Greenwich, Mang Inasal and Chowking,” the coalition stated.
Jolibee announced in December 2022 that it would release its program for sustainable sourcing of key ingredients.
