We believe in Equality
Equitas is a charitable organisation that works to promote animal welfare and consumer rights in corporate supply chains, educating people about food safety risks and animal cruelty . This way, consumers can be sure they are buying quality products, and animals aren’t subject to unnecessary suffering.
Equal treatment for customers: they deserve equally safe and high-quality food, regardless of where they live.
Equal protections for animal welfare: animals deserve the same care, regardless of where they are raised.
Equitas investigates food safety and animal welfare standards in the supply chains of leading global food companies
We let the public know when companies are discriminating against international customers by serving less-safe food
We also inform the public when global food leaders fail to protect animals in their international supply chain
Equitas is a privately-operated charitable organisation; inquiries can be directed to us at the email address below
The Caged-Eggs Issue
- Food Safety. Cage-free egg farms are 25 times less likely to be contaminated with certain strains of salmonella,[1] they are easier to clean and disinfect, have lower volumes of faecal matter and hens raised in a cage-free environment experience less stress and are therefore less susceptible to disease. [2][3][4][5][6][7]
- Animal welfare. Cage-free systems are widely praised for protecting the welfare of animals by every major animal welfare organisation in the world, including the international RSPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), Humane Society International, and hundreds of other NGOs throughout Asia, such as Selangor SPCA, Hong Kong SPCA[8] and Taiwan SPCA.
- Increasing Consumer Interest. Public surveys show widespread support for a move towards cage-free egg production among Asian consumers.[9] Other studies have found that Chinese consumers are increasingly willing to buy cage-free eggs.[10]
- Ease of Switching. Going cage-free is logistically easy. It does not require adding or removing any products, just using an egg product with higher quality and greater food safety. Using higher quality cage-free eggs does carry a slight price premium. However, the cost increase is modest, especially compared to many other sustainability and quality improvements.
Our Numbers
Sources
[1] European Food Safety Authority. 2007. Report of the Task Force on Zoonoses Data Collection on the Analysis of the baseline study on the prevalence of Salmonella in holdings of laying hen flocks of Gallus gallus. The EFSA Journal 97. www.efsa.europa .eu/EFSA/efsa_locale-1178620753812_1178620761896.htm
[2] The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration. 2004. The national Salmonella control programme for the production of table eggs and broilers 1996-2002. Fødevare Rapport 6, March.
[3] Davies R and Breslin M. 2003. Observations on Salmonella contamination of commercial laying farms before and after cleaning and disinfection. The Veterinary Record 152(10): 283-7.
[4] Methner U, Rabsch W, Reissbrodt R, and Williams PH. 2008. Effect of norepinephrine on colonisation and systemic spread of Salmonella enterica in infected animals: Role of catecholate siderophore precursors and degradation products. International Journal of Medical Microbiology 298 (5- 6): 429-39.
[5] Bailey MT, Karaszewski JW, Lubach GR, Coe CL, and Lyte M. 1999. In vivo adaptation of attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium results in increased growth upon exposure to norepinephrine. Physiology and Behavior 67(3): 359-64.
[6] Shini S, Kaiser P, Shini A, and Bryden WL. 2008. Biological response of chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) induced by corticosterone and a bacterial endotoxin. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part B. 149(2):324-33
[7] Rostagno MH. 2009. Can stress in farm animals increase food safety risk? Foodborne Pathogens and Disease 6(7): 767-76.
[8] https://www.spca.org.hk/en/education-and-outreach/campaigns/choose-free-range-eggs
[9] http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article? id=10.1371/journal.pone.0109177