Mexico City—Humane World for Animals congratulates Ferrero Mexico for completing its transition to sourcing eggs exclusively from cage-free hens throughout its operations. The company transitioned its egg supply chain to 100% cage-free in Europe in 2014 and has now met its goal to transition in Mexico to cage-free.
Ferrero Mexico started working on its cage-free transition with Humane World for Animals Mexico in 2019. Over the last 6 years, the company has collaborated closely with local suppliers in Mexico to transition away from intensive cage confinement and meet internationally recognized animal welfare and supply chain traceability standards used in global cage-free sourcing.
“The responsible sourcing of our ingredients is one of the pillars of sustainability at Ferrero. Completing the transition to using eggs from cage-free hens in Mexico reflects our long-term commitment to animal welfare,” says Paolo Cornero, CEO of Ferrero Mexico and Central America.
“The fulfillment of this commitment by Ferrero Mexico is excellent news for thousands of hens, who will be able to live in conditions where they can spread their wings. Ferrero’s unwavering commitment and proactive leadership have set a gold standard for animal welfare in Mexico, and their example is helping pave the way for other companies by showing how achievable and successful these transitions can be and how much the market has grown,” says Arianna Torres, senior program manager, corporate policy and farm animals, at Humane World for Animals Mexico.
The market for eggs from cage-free hens in Mexico has expanded significantly in recent years. More than 150 companies have committed to eliminating the procurement of eggs from caged hens. Ferrero joins companies such as Costco and 100% Natural, in becoming 100% cage-free in Mexico with many other companies making substantial progress toward the same goal. Globally, more than 2,000 companies have committed to ending the use of cages for hens in their supply chains.
Cage-free systems offer hens significantly better living conditions by allowing them to express natural behavior such as scratching the ground, pecking, dust bathing, nesting, perching, and freely stretching their wings—activities that are impossible in the small, wire cages still used to confine most hens kept for egg production. Hens are sensitive and intelligent animals: scientific evidence shows they have a sense of time, can learn from their peers, and experience emotional states.
Humane World for Animals works in Mexico and globally to persuade corporations, financial institutions, food service companies, governments and farmers to eliminate the worst practices of industrial animal agriculture that subject the greatest number of animals to the longest duration of suffering, including intensive confinement. While the organization’s work is global, Humane World for Animals has farmed animal welfare teams in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the European Union, India, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Viet Nam. It also promotes a shift toward a more plant-forward, climate-friendly global food system by providing culinary resources and training to institutions serving millions of meals daily and advocating for policy change at both the national and international levels.
