Philippines leads Asia in cage-free egg commitments

The Philippines has emerged as Asia’s leader in sustainable food sourcing, with seven out of 10 major restaurant brands and nearly 80% of chain restaurant locations nationwide now committed to eliminating the use of caged eggs, according to the 2025 Philippines Restaurant Industry Cage-Free Egg Scorecard released by Lever Foundation.

Lever Foundation said 67 leading restaurant brands were evaluated, representing most of the country’s chain dining landscape.

Of those, 47 chains operating 11,277 locations have pledged to fully transition to cage-free eggs, accounting for 78% of all chain restaurant locations in the Philippines, the highest concentration in Asia, the scorecard said.

The total includes brands that have already completed their transition, such as Nanyang and Peri-Peri, as well as major chains that have set timelines to implement 100% cage-free sourcing in the years ahead.

Filipino brands that have made pledges include Jollibee, Max’s, Chowking, Mang Inasal, Red Ribbon, Greenwich and Shakey’s, alongside international brands such as KFC, Dunkin’, Pizza Hut, Subway and Burger King, Lever Foundation said.

“The Philippines restaurant industry has demonstrated remarkable leadership in adopting cage-free egg policies,” said Robyn Del Rosario, Sustainability Program Lead at Lever Foundation, which worked with domestic restaurant groups and some international groups in developing their policies.

“With 70% of major restaurant brands—representing 78% of chain restaurant locations across the country—already committed to cage-free egg sourcing, we’re witnessing the sector’s recognition that animal welfare, food safety, and sustainability are essential business priorities.”

Cage-free systems allow hens to move freely and engage in natural behaviors such as nesting, perching, dust-bathing and short flights in indoor barn environments, unlike conventional battery cage systems that restrict movement, the foundation said.

Lever Foundation cited peer-reviewed scientific research it said links cage-free production to improved food-safety profiles and egg quality metrics, while noting a growing segment of consumers is also shifting to plant-based alternatives and choosing to avoid eggs entirely.

The Philippine government also moved to set guidance for cage-free production after the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards began developing a national standard in 2020, which was later issued as a Philippine National Standard code of practice for cage-free egg production.

Lever Foundation said the pace of commitments accelerated over the past year, with three major restaurant groups setting cage-free egg policies covering a combined 2,140 locations.

These groups are 333 Foods, which operates BreadTalk, Nanyang and Banana Leaf, Max’s Group, which operates Pancake House and Yellow Cab, and Century Pacific Food Inc., which operates Shakey’s, Potato Corner and Peri-Peri, the scorecard said.

The foundation said 20 leading chain restaurant brands still serve caged eggs with no timeline for shifting to cage-free, including Goldilocks, Army Navy, Wildflour, Nono’s, Italianni’s, McDonalds and Starbucks.

Lever Foundation said Goldilocks publicly pledged to set a cage-free egg policy by the end of 2025 but failed to do so.

The 2025 scorecard grades companies on a four-tier scale: A for 100% cage-free egg implementation achieved in the Philippines, B for a global cage-free egg commitment and timeline, C for a Philippines-specific cage-free egg commitment and timeline, and F for no cage-free egg policy in the Philippines.

“The transformation we’re seeing is remarkable, and we’re eager to collaborate with the remaining companies and share the learnings from industry leaders who’ve already made successful commitments,” said del Rosario.

“The path forward is clear, and we’re confident more brands will catch up with this industry-wide shift in the year ahead. Cage-free sourcing is not just a more ethical choice—it’s becoming the baseline expectation from consumers and the competitive standard in the Philippines.”