Animal activists demand update from Lai Sun Dining over 2022 commitment to cage-free eggs
Hong Kong Free Press
Local animal activists staged a silent protest outside Lai Sun Dining restaurants and its head office on Tuesday, urging the company to be transparent about its progress towards using eggs from cage-free hens.
The demonstration was in line with the international Open Wing Alliance – a coalition of 95 organisations across 75 countries. The campaign targeted Lai Sun Dining, a subsidiary of Hong Kong’s Lai Sun Group, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Wagamama.
“[D]espite the global food industry’s move away from cruel cages, these companies refuse to reveal whether they still raise egg-laying hens in these archaic conditions across regions,” an Open Wing Alliance statement read. “Combined, these companies use approximately 73 million eggs per year, and meeting their cage-free commitments would reduce the suffering of an estimated 260,000 hens.”
Lai Sun Dining, headquartered in Hong Kong, is known for its fine dining and Michelin-starred establishments. Their brands include China Tang, Beefbar Hong Kong, and Cipriani Hong Kong.
The alliance said that the company sources about 1,950,000 eggs annually, impacting around 7,000 hens. In 2022, it made a public commitment to use only cage-free eggs, but the group says the F&B firm has yet to report on its procurement targets.
HKFP has reached out to Lai Sun Dining for comment. In 2022, the group’s CEO Nelson Ang, said: “Our clientele knows we value taste, ethics and health. Switching to cage-free eggs across our venues will not only make our supply chain more sustainable and humane, but will also further elevate the work of our chefs. Environmental sustainability, food safety and animal welfare are at the core of truly fine dining.”
‘Greenhushing’ concerns
The campaign press release said that “[c]ompanies that publish progress reports build consumer trust and showcase their dedication to responsible sourcing, while those engaging in ‘greenhushing’ – concealing their progress to avoid scrutiny – risk damaging their reputations and falling behind competitors.”
The Open Wing Alliance says it has secured more than 2,650 cage-free commitments from corporations around the world. But it says more than four billion hens worldwide still suffer in tiny, crammed, cages preventing them from engaging in natural behaviour or stretching their wings. “These caged systems lead to stress, reproductive disease, and poor bone health in egg-laying hens. In response, several countries, including Austria, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, have banned cages entirely,” the alliance said.
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