This will apply to eggs in a shell as well as eggs that are processed or used as ingredients. This pledge applies to all SaladStop! locations globally, including Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Viet Nam, Korea, Japan and Spain. The Singapore-based family-owned company announces this policy in partnership with Humane Society International, a leading global animal protection organisation. HSI welcomes this commitment as an important step forward for animals in Asia.

Katherine Braha, director of SaladStop!, said: “Our motto ‘Eat Wide Awake’ means taking into consideration the environment, animal welfare and the food chain when sourcing our ingredients. We hope to be one of the catalysts in changing the food system for the better and support a new breed of farms committed to positive change. Animal welfare is an important part of this change, which is why we are excited to work with HSI to source higher welfare cage-free eggs.”

Dawn Neo, corporate outreach manager for HSI Farm Animals in Asia, said: “We congratulate SaladStop! for improving animal welfare in its supply chain by adopting a cage-free egg procurement policy. The transition to sourcing exclusively cage-free eggs will significantly improve the lives of countless animals, and this commitment helps pave the way towards a higher standard of corporate social responsibility for animal welfare in Asia. We are happy to work with SaladStop! on this important initiative, and we look forward to working with more companies in the region on similar policies.”

In Asia and around the world, egg-laying hens spend their entire lives confined in wire battery cages, so small that they cannot even spread their wings. Both science and common sense show that virtually immobilising animals for their entire lives causes mental distress and significant physical pain. Cage-free systems are commercially viable production methods that generally offer higher animal welfare compared to caged systems. Cage-free hens are able to walk, stretch their wings and lay eggs in nests, in addition to other important natural behaviors that are all denied to animals confined in cages.

SaladStop! joins other companies in Asia such as The Lo & Behold Group, Grand Hyatt Singapore, Andaz Singapore, AccorHotels, Sodexo, Compass Group and Unilever that have already committed to eliminating battery cage eggs from their supply chains. Hundreds of food industry leaders around the globe have done the same.