Cage-Free Hong Kong: Promoting High-Welfare Eggs with Global Awards

The Landmark Mandarin Oriental Shares Insights on Ethical Sourcing

Planet For All, a Hong Kong-based non-profit animal protection organization, has launched the first regional campaign to promote the welfare of egg-laying hens. The campaign, titled “Cage-Free Hong Kong”, called for a shift from battery cages to cage-free rearing methods, to propel Hong Kong to become a farm-animal-friendly city. Planet For All collaborated with corporations that pledged support for the cause, such as The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, to convey the vision to businesses and consumers. Organizers also worked with Compassion in World Farming to introduce the internationally renowned Good Egg Award into the region, encouraging the catering and food industry to abandon caged eggs.

The Landmark Mandarin Oriental for responsible procurement

Through collaboration, Planet For All supports restaurants and retailers to procure responsibly through in-house training and supplier referrals. The Landmark Mandarin Oriental was invited to share their experience of making this transition. “We started shifting to cage-free eggs in 2016 and 'Cage-Free Hong Kong' aligns with our values,” shared Richard Ekkebus, Director of Culinary Operations and Food & Beverage. “The pandemics we have had over the last 20 years, most of them are related to industrial farming, there’s a link between healthy food and animal-friendly practices. Animal welfare, organic feeding,

and the best practices within farming, all create better products, especially when Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has no tolerance for food safety risk.”

Restaurants and hospitals provide cage-free offers

Cage-Free Hong Kong intends to encourage the public to opt for cage-free eggs, or even for better welfare, free-range or pasture-raised eggs. Through October, iconic restaurant Eggslut will offer a 50% discount on the drink of choice and a free cage-free egg (while supplies last), if the customer chooses a vegetarian option (Fairfax Sandwich or Side Salad) and shares a post on social media. “Farm animal protection and ethical consumption are growing trends. This is why Eggslut only sources high-quality free-range eggs and joins the campaign with Planet For All. We hope that more customers will be aware and support hen welfare,” Eggslut CEO Kit Loo said.

Hong Kong Adventist Hospital is the first hospital in Hong Kong which exclusively uses cage-free eggs in its menu. Its centres in Stubbs Road and Tsuen Wan fully committed to the shift in mid-2024. “We are the first hospital in Hong Kong that only serves vegetarian food,” said Wong Chi-wing, Director, Food & Dietetic Department, also a registered dietitian. “Shifting to cage-free eggs is one further step to ensure patients’ health and safety, while promoting animal welfare at the same time.”

Hong Kong Adventist Hospital offers meal sets with cage-free eggs through September.

The Good Egg Award, a global recognition for ethical sourcing

Starting from 2007, the Good Egg Award, announced by Compassion in World Farming, has been presented to catering and retail businesses that commit to use cage-free eggs within five years, with award-giving ceremonies held annually in Europe. Since its establishment, over 100 million egg-laying hens are spared from close confinement every year by the awarded companies. As a recognition of social responsibility, the Good Egg Award improves company image and customer confidence. Awardees include well-known

international brands, such as IKEA, Pret A Manger, Burger King and Starbucks. “We are very pleased to introduce the Good Egg Award into Hong Kong by working with Planet For All,” commented Jeff Zhou, Chinese representative of Compassion in World Farming. “We hope that Hong Kong can be a part of the worldwide, cage-free movement. Together, we will build a more compassionate, ethical food system that demonstrates corporate responsibility, for a future that embraces harmony between humans, animals and the

planet.”

The Need for Transition

Approximately, 63% of the world’s commercial laying hen population* , equivalent to more than three billion birds, is located in Asia. Unfortunately, an estimated 90% of laying hens in Asia spend their entire lives in tiny, metal cages, in which they are unable to fulfil their most basic instincts.

Hens in cages are deprived of the ability to express their fundamental behavioral needs, including preening, dust bathing, perching, nesting, foraging, or even fully spreading their wings. A comprehensive review of the literature by the European Food Safety Authority frankly determined that “cage[s] should not be used.”

Animal agriculture provides a breeding ground for infectious diseases and threatens public health. The outbreak of avian influenza in 1997 resulted in six deaths. Up to 2016, the government conducted 12 large-scale culls of chickens, destroying millions of poultry, with compensation payouts amounting to a few hundred million HKD.

Animal agriculture also poses concerns for public health. Animal farming accounts for approximately 70% of global antibiotics use, exacerbating the risk of antimicrobial resistance. This consumption is expected to increase by 67% by 2030. Alongside various international organizations, the United Nations acknowledged that worldwide efforts to improving animal health are critical to avert potential future global public health crises. According to the European Food Safety Authority, cage farms are 25 times more likely to be contaminated with salmonella, compared to cage-free egg farms. Therefore, government initiatives to facilitate cage-free systems are particularly relevant to food safety and public health.

* Mine, Y. & Guyonnet, V., Hatta, H. & Nau, F. (2023). Handbook of Egg Science and Technology (pp. 11-14). CRC Press. [Datafor Asia-Oceania]

Consumers Prefer More Humane Eggs

In 2022, Planet For All conducted a survey titled "Consumption Habits and Attitudes of Hong Kong Consumers towards Eating Eggs", which found that over 70% of the respondents believed consumers should be informed of the rearing methods of egg-laying hens, and nearly 80% were willing to pay extra for more humane cage-free eggs.

“Despite the adoption of cage-free eggs by Hong Kong businesses still lag behind other regions, the concern for hen welfare was not a novelty.” said Wendy Chan, Corporate Partnership and Campaign Manager of Planet For All. “Laws have been enacted to ban cages in over 35 countries worldwide, while more than 70 companies in Hong Kong pledged to adopt cage-free policies. Revolutionaries range from global corporations like Nestlé, Unilever, Burger King, KFC, and Marriott, to regional Asian firms such as Minor Foods and Jollibee Foods Corporation. This campaign serves to promote humane products on the market, and the introduction of the Good Egg Award sets the stage for pursuit of ethical procurement - bringing an international aspiration into the regional lens.”