June 3, 2024
Rise in cage-free egg demand spurs Malaysian producers to learn from China
New data reveals a rapid rise in consumer demand for companies to shift to cage-free eggs, prompting national producers to look to China's egg industry for insights, Malay Mail reported.
The Sino-Malaysia Cage-Free Egg Symposium, held on May 8, 2024, brought together seven leading egg producers from Malaysia, five of China's largest cage-free egg producers, China's leading egg and poultry trade associations, and cross-border food distributors. The symposium facilitated an open discussion on the commercial opportunities for cage-free eggs in Malaysia.
Titled "Unlocking Success Together," the symposium was organised by NGO Lever Foundation, the Beijing Egg Industry Association, and the Shanghai Poultry Trade Association.
Wang Zhong-qiang, secretary general of the Beijing Egg Industry Association said the development of cage-free eggs relies heavily on corporate demand in Asia, and China's earliest large-scale cage-free production was built because of that.
He said Asia is catching up, and companies entering the cage-free sector early on will have significant growth opportunities.
Over the past three years, an increasing number of corporate commitments in China to source only cage-free eggs have led to the establishment of China's largest cage-free egg farm, housing 500,000 hens, as well as numerous other farms housing several hundred thousand hens.
Cindy Lee, COO of Malaysia's first commercial-scale cage-free egg producer, TC Farm, stressed the benefits of cage-free environments.
He said at TC Farm's cage-free facilities, hens are free to exhibit natural behaviours including flying, strolling, perching, and dust bathing.
The symposium also highlighted the increasing consumer demand for cage-free eggs in Malaysia. A recent survey by GMO Research revealed that 77% of Malaysians believe food companies should source only cage-free eggs, with nearly 60% more inclined to patronise brands that commit to doing so. Over 60% of consumers are willing to pay more for cage-free eggs, and some have reduced egg consumption to protect laying hens.
Vilosha Sivaraman, sustainability programme manager at Lever Foundation, said that based just on existing corporate commitments, there will be a need for approximately 395 million more cage-free eggs to be produced every year within the next several years.
Retailers such as AEON and Mydin, restaurant chains such as Old Town White Coffee and O'Briens Irish Sandwich Cafe, and hotel chains including Hatten Hotels and Ascott Malaysia have all committed to ending the sale of caged eggs. This trend is echoed by most leading international restaurant, cafe, and packaged foods brands operating in the country.
Dr Zhu Wen-qi, secretary general of the Shanghai Poultry Trade Association, said the logic of cage-free farming is the same as that of sustainability and carbon neutrality. Only by being friendly to animals can humans obtain a better protein source.
- Malay Mail
