Page 27 - Food&Drink Magazine August 2019

C22/148 Old Pittwater Road, Brookvale NSW, Australia www.symetec.com
Unlocking the cage
In a major move for the food manufacturing sector, bakery giant Allied Pinnacle has announced it will phase out the use of cage eggs by 2023. Kim Berry reports.
ALLIED Pinnacle, the largest bakery supplier to Coles and Woolworths, will eliminate cage eggs from its supply chain by 2023.
The company uses more than 40 million eggs every year. By the end of the phase out period, more than 130,000 hens will be spared from battery cages.
Allied Pinnacle CEO, James Ajaka, says: “We will be working closely with our egg suppliers, and customers, to continue phasing out of cage-eggs. This is a significant undertaking given the size and scope of our requirements, but we are confident we can achieve our target of one hundred per cent cage-free eggs by 2023.
“We have worked closely with Animals Australia and appreciate their help and support in developing our cage-free egg policy.”
A spokesperson for Allied told Food & Drink Business the planning for the move has been several years in the making. The company is now working with suppliers to deliver its target, and says communication makes the company confident they will achieve it by 2023.
The decision was applauded by Animals Australia, which said the announcement came at a critical time with the future of battery cages about to be decided through a government
review of the Poultry Code. Animals Australia CEO, Glenys
Oogjes, says: “While consumers are increasingly choosing not to buy cage eggs, many people don’t realise that food products they purchase in supermarkets or cafes can often contain egg ingredients that come from hens confined to cages. In fact sixty per cent of eggs produced are used in food rather than being sold as whole eggs.
“We greatly appreciate Allied Pinnacle’s co-operation in reaching this outcome. It demonstrates how animal protection organisations and the corporate sector can work together constructively to
improve the lives of animals.” The Allied spokesperson says
the decision was a “collaborative process with suppliers. They understand the momentum in the Australian community towards a cage-free environment so are supportive of the move, particularly as it gives them time to plan and adjust.”
The company sees its decision as part of a broader move away from the use of cages in poultry farms and it expects others to follow. ✷
MEAT, FISH & POULTRY
www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au | August 2019 | Food&Drink business | 27