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FBR March 2016

www.fbreporter.com FOOD & BEVERAGE REPORTER | MARCH 2016 | 19 SPOTLIGHT concerned if farmers keep commercial laying-hens in cages or not”, although he concedes there are welfare issues that need to be addressed. And while he’s aware that it’s an unpopular viewpoint, he says there is considerable evidence to show that caged eggs are actually best for the hens and the environment. The IEC report includes an in-depth comparison of the pros and cons of the different kinds of housing for laying eggs that makes fascinating reading. It notes that keeping laying hens in battery cages has distinct advantages from a welfare perspective: “The birds are separated from their excreta which results in cleaner feathers and eggs, and also reduces the risk of an infection, thus improving the health of the laying hens. Small groups of hens with a stable social order also reduces the vice of feather pecking and cannibalism.” It also confirms the view of animal welfare advocates internationally that while cage-free hens are spared some of the more severe cruelties inherent in battery systems, it’s a big mistake to consider cage-free to be “cruelty- free”. For example, according to the Humane Society of the US, both systems typically buy hens from hatcheries that kill the male chicks upon hatching. In the US alone, this involves more than 200-million chicks slaughtered annually. Both caged and cage-free hens are also beak trimmed to prevent injury from the pecking order or cannibalism. In South ... Continued on next page The Chicken Liberation Struggle continues ... A nimal rights advocates in the USA are trumpeting significant recent victories in the push for cage-free eggs. Last September, McDonald’s set off a domino effect by pledging to move to 100% cage-free eggs in its supply chain by 2025. Nestlé followed suit, announcing a transition to cage-free eggs in all of its US food products within the next five years. Some of the biggest US egg producers have also pledged allegiance to cage-free. But, interestingly, with the exception of Costco, none of the big supermarket chains have so far made any commitments. In South Africa, Woolworths has been ahead of this game: the company stopped selling shell eggs from caged systems in 2004. It says free-range eggs are “a key milestone on our Good Business Journey” in terms of animal welfare. “We’re proud to be the only South African retailer that can say all the whole eggs we sell are free-range, laid by hens fed a diet that contains no animal by- products and free to roam outdoors during the day, with unlimited access to shelter and water.” Currently, over 95% of Woolworths private-label food products that contain egg as an ingredient are made with free-range eggs, and the company says it is aiming to reach 100% in the near future. Approximately half the eggs it sources and uses every year are sold in cartons, while the remainder are pasteurised liquid eggs used in processed foods. Woolworths says it takes animal welfare “very seriously” and points out that its achievement in terms of free-range eggs was recognised and awarded the international Good Egg Award by Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) in 2014. Pick ‘n Pay Executive Head of Group Strategy David North says that while the company does offer free-range eggs, many families in South Africa are on very limited budgets and this means battery eggs “remain an affordable and nutritious choice for the majority of customers”. Pick n Pay free-range eggs meet the RSPCA Freedom Foods Welfare Standard, and the definition set out in the Agricultural Products Standards Act of 1990, North says. “Animal welfare and other standards are in place for these products and our company food technologists conduct factory and site visits to ensure compliance with these standards and with our free-range standards." x Lovell ... laws aren’t in place Happy Hens

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