Cage-free egg is an increasingly preferable choice for both end-consumers as well as processed food producers, as they believe that cage-free production improves animal welfare conditions by allowing laying hens to roam around freely in a more open environment.
There are thousands of egg producers in Vietnam producing billions of eggs annually for domestic as well as for export market. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Vietnam had 77.07 million hens which laid 8.2 billion eggs in 2019. The number of cage-free egg producers is still small but they are growing.
With Vietnam rapidly modernising its food industry, animal welfare has now become a major consideration which affects company image and purchase decisions.
Based on a recent consumer study called ‘Third Annual State of Snacking™’ report done by Mondelez International, a vast majority of consumers worldwide (85%) want to buy snacks from companies that offset their environmental footprint. This is further supported by another research conducted by ESI Insights for World Animal protection which showed that 67% of shoppers already consider animal welfare in their food purchasing. Meanwhile, a growing number of millennials (83%) factor animal welfare into their purchasing decision when buying food.
In advanced economies like Europe, the proportion of eggs from cage-free hens has grown from just 10% to over 50% of all eggs produced in the last 20 years. In the US, the proportion of eggs from cage-free hens has grown from 4% to over 30% in the past 10 years and is projected to reach over 50% by 2025. In Asia, demand for cage-free eggs is fast catching up from a low base estimated at less than 5-10% currently.
Indeed, demand for cage-free eggs in Asia will only catch up once processed food manufacturers in this region start to propagate the use of cage-free eggs in their snacks and confectionery products. One example is Mondelez International, which has become one of the first food giant to use 100% cage free eggs for its snack brands in the US and Canada, and chocolate brands in Europe. In Vietnam, Hemant Rupani, Managing Director of Mondelez Kinh Do said, “As the leader in bakery snacks in Vietnam, we strive to understand the changing needs and help our consumers have a healthy and eco-friendly lifestyle. We are proud to announce that Mondelez Kinh Do Vietnam will be the pioneer in the industry to start to use cage-free eggs. Given our belief in animal welfare, cage-free eggs will be used for the very first time in our products using fresh eggs from local Happy Farms certified by Humane Farm Animal Care.”
Meanwhile, one of the largest egg suppliers and processing companies in Vietnam, Vinh Thanh Dat (V. Food), has joined the global cage-free movement by launching the first local cage-free egg brand. The project is freeing thousands of hens from cages in the first year. It will expand in the years to come, with the assistance of Humane Society International (HSI), a global organisation working to protect all animals.
The cage-free movement is also fast catching up in neighbouring countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand as egg manufacturers step up efforts to fulfil growing demand from the processed food industry.
The beneficiary of this movement is not just the animals (hens), but studies have shown that cage-free eggs have better nutrition content of protein and vitamins that benefit humans also, the end-consumers.
