Newly launched advocacy effort Pinas Initiative for Accountability (PIA) has committed to holding multinational corporations accountable for breached commitments to transitioning to cage-free eggs amid a high demand for these among Filipino consumers.
By October, PIA is set to come up with a “2025 Cage-free Tracker” that will map the commitments of all Philippine-based companies.
It cited the nonprofit think tank Lever Foundation’s Philippines Consumer Survey Report for Cage-Free Eggs, which found that 83 percent of Filipino consumers want food companies to source their eggs from cage-free environments. This is on top of 95 percent who agree that hens should not be kept in cages.
The watchdog seeks to address the lack of legislation compelling multinational corporations to publicize their commitments to transition to cage-free eggs, a condition already being met in other countries.
“Filipino consumers are being left behind in a time when they deserve transparency. It’s not enough to make promises abroad and hide behind silence locally,” PIA program manager Nancy Samonte said.
“We call on local authorities to take action to protect our Filipino consumers,” she added.
According to the collective, cage-free systems are recognized worldwide as a more humane standard of animal welfare. Unlike battery cages, cage-free systems allow hens to move more freely and express natural behaviors like perching, nesting, and dust bathing while significantly reducing the amount of time they spend in pain.
Philippine-headquartered companies like Jollibee have committed to cage-free sourcing. The said fast food chain brand, which is the largest in the country, pledges to transition to 100-percent cage-free eggs in the United States by 2025 and 100-percent cage-free eggs globally by 2035.
Although local producers have begun taking initiative, many multinational companies operating in the Philippines reportedly remain vague or silent about their progress within the country’s market despite high-profile global pledges.
“Our consumers already buy into global brands that market themselves as ethical and sustainable. If those same brands are charging premium prices locally while cutting corners on animal welfare they follow elsewhere, then we are being lied to,” Samonte said.
PIA is set to engage government agencies to align cage-free efforts with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and food sustainability frameworks.
Meanwhile, it is in active dialogue with major brands, pushing them to publish local transition plans that match their global standards.
“The goal is simple: empower consumers and pressure companies to stop treating ethical sourcing as optional in the Philippine market. We want Filipinos to see which companies are true to their word, and which ones are not,” Samonte concluded.
