Published 7/25/2016

Sodexo has announced that it will source only cage free eggs (both shell and liquid) worldwide by 2025. This news symbolizes the cage-free movement is now extending globally, after sweeping success with US food businesses.

Sodexo is working in partnership with Compassion in World Farming, the Humane Society International, and The Humane League on this worldwide cage-free egg commitment. Local NGO outreach is also in place and will be developed as the new commitment is deployed.

Neil Barrett, Group SVP Sustainable Development said “For a company like Sodexo, with operations in 80 countries at more than 32,000 sites, addressing animal welfare is a significant undertaking, due to the complexities of our supply chain and differences in agriculture practices around the world. We are focused on building partnerships with suppliers, authorities and farm animal welfare NGOs, to achieve progress and educate stakeholders about the issue.”

Compassion in World Farming has worked with Sodexo for the past four years to build on its international animal welfare policies. In North America, Sodexo has already switched to cage-free shell eggs and is committed to source all liquid eggs from cage-free hens by the end of 2020. Sodexo in Belgium and in Germany has sourced 100% cage-free eggs since 2008 and 2015, respectively.

Rachel Dreskin, US Head of Food Business at Compassion says, "Sodexo's global commitment to go cage-free shows that the cage-free movement is not limited to the US. Keeping animals in cages will never be accepted by consumers in the US, or anywhere else across the globe. Sodexo is stepping up and leading a charge to transform global egg supply chains."

Sodexo sources approximately a quarter of a billion shell eggs worldwide on an annual basis.

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