SAFE Animal Squad
William Hotel Group’s Cage-Free Announcement
November 20th, 2019SAFE is pleased to announce Williams Hotel Group has pledged to ditch cage eggs across all of its hotels nationwide.
After discussions with its food supplier, the New Zealand owned hotel group confirmed with SAFE its kitchens would no longer be serving eggs from caged hens. Williams Hotel Group has also set a new record by switching to only using free-range eggs within a month of being approached by SAFE.
“This is an excellent example of how opening discussions with food suppliers can lead to positive change for businesses and for hens,” says SAFE’s Corporate Campaigns Coordinator, Jessica Chambers. “Williams Hotel Group were quick to get on board with going cage-free, it’s encouraging to see businesses commit to freeing hens from cages.”
William Hotel Group’s Owner and Managing Director Tony Williams says “After being approached and a following meeting with SAFE it was obvious that WHG needed to adopt best practice with the use of Cage Free eggs within our business. Our meeting was beneficial in understanding what we needed to do and the process was effortless.”
Earlier this year, the countries two leading foodservice groups, Bid Food and Service Foods, committed to phasing out the sale of cage eggs within the next five years. Because of these policies, New Zealand businesses can now collaborate with like-minded suppliers as they work towards achieving their own cage-free goals.
The countries major supermarkets have all committed to removing cage eggs from their shelves by 2027 at the latest. Popular restaurant chains, café outlets and manufacturing brands are also making cage-free commitments. Cage-free policies like these are creating waves of change throughout the New Zealand egg industry. With so many businesses switching to cage-free options, egg producers are faced with the reality that New Zealand has high expectations when it comes to animal welfare
“We’re excited to work with more businesses as they take the important step away from using cage eggs,” says Chambers. “Kiwis care about hens and we are pleased to see an increasing number of businesses reflect this by making kinder purchasing choices.”
To find businesses with cage-free egg policies, check out SAFE’s Cage-Free Egg Directory.