Carrefour to drop eggs from caged hens from its shelves
Carrefour, owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim has announced it is dropping the sale of caged hens in its supermarkets.
In a statement Majid Al Futtaim said they are now to only sell cage-free eggs across its Carrefour franchise in the region under a newly signed animal welfare policy in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
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“The company is working toward a 100% cage-free shell egg private label assortment across all markets it operates in by 2030 and all national brands by 2032.Developed in partnership with The Humane League, the first-of-its-kind commitment goes beyond what legislation prescribes and contributes to further improvements in farming conditions in the region,”Majid Al Futtaim said in a statement.
The mother company for Carrefour said under the new Farmed Animal Health and Welfare Policy, they will promote alternative and more sustainable housing systems, such as cage- free, outdoor access systems, free-range systems and organic.
“Under our long-held commitment to leading in all the markets in which we operate, Majid Al Futtaim Retail is proud to provide its customers with products that comply with the
highest quality and safety standards, and that have been produced by socially and environmentally responsible means,” said Hani Weiss, Chief Executive Officer, Majid Al Futtaim Retail.
“This announcement is the region’s first Farmed Animal Health and Welfare Policy to state overarching business commitments and positions on crucial welfare standards. Our customers can expect the highest animal health and welfare standards from Carrefour throughout the region. We are dedicated to working responsibly in this area and will continue to make progress by supporting best practices across our supply chains.”
Carrefour says that cage -free egg production offers consumers a host of benefits, including improved health, reduced mortality, higher product quality, enhanced disease resistance and reduced medication, lower risk of foodborne diseases, farmer job satisfaction and a contribution to corporate citizenship efforts.
“Majid Al Futtaim’s announcement to exclusively source cage-free eggs for all its Carrefour retail operations will help to reduce the suffering of countless hens,” said Aaron Ross, Vice President of Policy and Strategy at The Humane League.
“This policy demonstrates that Majid Al Futtaim has true courage of their convictions, cutting-edge market intelligence, and strong relationships with customers and suppliers.”
Across all its markets, Majid Al Futtaim said it is working hand-in-hand with industry, government and business partners to help transform the market in pursuit of sourcing cage-free eggs for its Carrefour operations, and ensure that 100% of its private label products come from non- genetically modified animals by the end of 2023.
