S’pore eateries, food manufacturers should go with cage-free eggs

Congratulations and thanks to National Parks Board and Nature Society (Singapore) on the opening of the Kranji Marshes (“Rich biodiversity as Kranji Marshes open” Feb 2).

This new nature area marks another step forward, as Singapore is doing more to look out for animals, such as the many species of birds who live in our marshes.

On a related note, another promising development for birds is that fast-food restaurants in many countries are taking steps to improve the welfare of chickens, which produce the eggs we eat.

For example, just this month, Burger King announced it will transition to the use of cage-free eggs in its outlets in Canada, United States and Mexico by 2025.

Other well-known companies are also moving towards the use of cage-free eggs.

These socially-conscious companies include eateries with Singapore outlets, such as Starbucks, McDonald’s and Subway, plus food manufacturers such as Nestle and General Mills, which have many products in Singapore supermarkets.

This move towards cage-free eggs is significant because throughout the world, a large proportion of egg-laying hens are confined for their whole lives in wire battery cages, cages that are so small the hens cannot even fully stretch their wings.

Let us hope that eateries and food manufacturers in Singapore will become part of this emerging international cage-free movement.