Humane Society International : Industry giants Cargill and International Meal Corporation commit to 100 percent cage-free egg supply chains in Brazil

January 16, 2017

Humane Society International

• These policies will improve the lives of millions of egg-laying hens. HSI

Cargill, one of Brazil's main food producers and manufacturer of popular mayonnaise brands Liza and Maria, and International Meal Corporation (IMC), one of the country's largest restaurant companies, with 271 locations in Brazil, Colombia, Panama and the United States, including popular restaurant chains Viena, Frango Assado and Carl's Jr., announced that they will source exclusively cage-free eggs in their supply chains in Brazil. These policies follow discussions with Humane Society International and other animal protection organizations. Cargill has pledged to complete its transition to cage-free eggs by 2025 and IMC by 2022.

Fernanda Vieira, corporate policy and program manager for HSI Farm Animals in Brazil, stated: 'Animal welfare has become a priority corporate social responsibility issue in Brazil, and we're happy that industry leaders like Cargill and IMC have pledged to go cage-free. These policies will improve the lives of millions of egg-laying hens in the country, and we look forward to working with other companies on similar policies.'

Support our efforts to improve life for animals on farms.

Egg-laying hens are typically confined for their whole lives in wire battery cages, so small that the hens cannot even fully stretch their wings. Both common sense and science agree that virtually immobilizing animals for their entire lives causes mental distress and significant physical pain.

The use of conventional battery cages for laying hens is banned or being phased out under laws or regulations throughout the EU, in five U.S. states and in New Zealand and Bhutan. Officials in the majority of states in India, the world's third largest egg producer, have declared that the use of battery cages violates the country's animal welfare legislation, and the country is debating a national ban.

Cargill and IMC join other leading food manufacturers and corporations that have also committed to switching to exclusively cage-free eggs in Brazil and throughout Latin America, including Unilever, which has committed to a global cage-free egg supply chain by 2020, and Nestlé, the largest food company in the world. After working with HSI, Burger King and Arcos Dorados, which operates McDonald's in Brazil and 19 other countries in the region, committed to switching to 100 percent cage-free eggs, as did other leading restaurant operators, totaling thousands of restaurants in Brazil and Latin America alone. Compass Group (GRSA in Brazil) and Sodexo, both leading food service providers in the country, announced a global cage-free policy in partnership with HSI. Alsea, the largest restaurant operator in Latin America and Spain, and Grupo Bimbo, the world's largest bakery company, announced cage-free egg policies after several years of talks with HSI specialists. Other leading corporations like BFFC, Grupo Trigo, AccorHotels, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Subway, Marriott International and Hilton Worldwide have also pledged to go cage-free in Brazil. Take action and donate now to help.

Media contact: Fernanda Vieira, [e-mail], 11 9 8905 3848