The commitment pushes forward the company's efforts in animal welfare and boosts its efforts in corporate responsibility.
Michael Franceschi, Sodexo Group SVP supply management, said: “Our objective is to work collaboratively with our partners to support and contribute to the progressive transformation of the whole industry.
“We will gather all the actors around the table in order to accompany the conversion and the evolution of the local industry so that by 2025, we will be able to source cage free eggs from local producers in each country where we operate.”
Sodexo will take advice at the international level from specialized NGO partners Compassion in World Farming, Humane Society International, and The Humane League to define and implement an action plan to ensure the company and its suppliers can achieve this goal within the next nine years. Local NGO outreach will also be established and developed as the new commitment is deployed.
Neil Barratt, Sodexo Group SVP Sustainable Development, added: “For a company like Sodexo, with operations in 80 countries at more than 32,000 sites, and who sources approximately a quarter of a billion shell eggs worldwide on an annual basis, addressing animal welfare is a significant undertaking, due to the complexities of our supply chain and differences in agriculture practices around the world.
“Given our commitment to sourcing responsibly, we are focused on building partnerships with suppliers, authorities and farm animal welfare NGOs, to achieve progress and educate stakeholders about the issue.”