It’s already 2023, which means many food and hospitality businesses have only a few more years to meet their cage-free egg commitment deadlines, including in India. Leading corporations, including Unilever, Nestle and Marriott, are committed to sourcing only cage-free eggs by 2025, and many have already begun to make the switch.
Empowering the Future of Cage-Free Farming: Mathavan Damodharan at Global Food Partners Training Event
To prepare for this growing demand, producers have begun to produce cage-free eggs. Adopting cage-free production methods involves a significant learning process, and by starting now, producers can optimise their production over time, leading up to 2025.
Global Food Partners (GFP) – a Singapore-based consulting firm – and India’s Cage-free and Free-range Poultry Producers Association (CFFRPPA) – have signed an exclusive partnership agreement to support the country’s egg farmers to transition to best practice cage-free production.
Through this partnership, GFP will build capacity through online resources and in-person consultations and workshops in cage-free production and bird health and welfare to CFFRPPA members interested in cage-free farming. The two organisations will also develop a buyer roundtable, to help food and hospitality businesses source cage-free eggs and develop the cage-free market in India.
Jayasimha Nuggehalli, Chief Operating Officer and Co-founder of Global Food Partners, stated, “Our mission at GFP is to create a cage-free ecosystem in Asia, where both egg producers and buyers can achieve sustainable cage-free production and sourcing. We’re thrilled to partner with CFFRPPA to help its members succeed in cage-free production, and to help corporate buyers meet their cage-free commitments in India.”
Ashok Kannan, President of CFFRPPA, stated, “Our membership is increasingly interested in producing cage-free eggs, as more and more consumers and corporate clients in India are requesting them. We are happy Global Food Partners can support CFFRPPA egg farmers to overcome challenges they’ve been facing in cage-free production. Their vast experience in India and abroad will help us stay competitive and meet client demand for a high quality and reliable supply of cage-free eggs.”
Earlier this month, as part of this partnership, CFFRPPA member and farmer and trainer at Happy Hens, Mathavan Damodharan attended Global Food Partners’ week-long training at its Cage-free Welfare and Innovation Hub in Indonesia. The training was led jointly by Global Food Partners, Universitas Gadjah Mada (Indonesia) and Aeres University of Applied Sciences (the Netherlands), and had participants from across Asia, including Singapore, China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Philippines. The training had both theoretical and practical sessions, including visits to a local farm, bird assessments and handling, and collaborative learning activities in the classroom and on-farm.
About Global Food Partners
Global Food Partners is a Singapore-based consulting company whose mission is to work with food businesses and egg producers to successfully transition to higher welfare cage-free sourcing and production in Asia.
Register for GFP’s e-learning course “Cage-free Egg Production: the Basics”, www.globalfoodpartners.com
About CFFRPPA
Cage-free and Free-range Poultry Producers Association (CFFRPPA) is a new industry organization dedicated to promoting best practices in cage-free and free-range poultry production in India.