Kewpie mayo commits to cage-free eggs worldwide

In an increasingly connected world, the ethical treatment of animals should transcend geographic boundaries. Most people agree that animals deserve to be treated with kindness, and this extends to how our food is produced.

Update

On 24 October 2024, Kewpie mayo published a cage-free egg commitment. As the largest egg purchaser in Japan, Kewpie’s commitment will cover a minimum of 200 million eggs per year by 2030 – that’s a huge number of hens who will be freed from cages.

Anyone concerned about animals agrees that cages = cruelty!

On the left is a drawing of the torso and arms of a baby, with a cracked egg behind it. Text says “Kewpie supports cruel cages.” On the right is a photo of at least seven white feathered hens crammed into a tiny cage. They are missing feathers and have large, droopy combs on their heads. — Examples of the Campaign material used.
Chicken Image Credit – Animal Rights Centre Japan

The Open Wing Alliance (OWA) is a worldwide network of 90+ organisations in 70+ countries dedicated to ending the abuse of chickens. Animals Aotearoa is a proud member of this powerful coalition.

Previous global campaigns have seen cage-free egg commitments from big names such as Restaurant Brands International and Jollibee Food Corporation. The OWA is currently spearheading a worldwide campaign focussed on Kewpie Corporation, a major player in the food industry renowned for its signature mayonnaise. In New Zealand and beyond, Kewpie’s products are familiar on supermarket shelves, but their animal welfare policies are now under intense scrutiny.

Kewpie is a significant purchaser of eggs, using over four billion eggs annually – an astronomical number that highlights the scale of their impact on animal welfare. This massive egg consumption means that a vast number of hens are subjected to life in confinement as a result of Kewpie’s poor sourcing practices.

A photo of row of cages crammed with white feathered hens. The hens are missing feathers and have pale, dropping combs on their heads. In front of the cages are eggs that have been laid. A drawing of a Kewpie Mayonnaise bottle is superimposed over the top of the photo. — Chicken Image Credit – Animal Rights Centre Japan

The reality for hens kept in cages is a nightmare scenario. These birds are confined in cramped spaces, where they cannot stretch their wings, move freely, or engage in natural behaviours like scratching the ground or dustbathing. Their lives are characterised by stress and deprivation, living out their days without ever seeing the sun. It’s day after day of suffering. This is no life for a hen.

While this suffering can be described in words, the true misery of these birds has been revealed with recent footage of an egg factory farm in Japan – a farm that supplies Kewpie.

We know Kewpie understands the issue and seems to care about the welfare of (some) hens. The company already has a commitment to sourcing cage-free eggs in Europe and the USA. It’s a different story for its egg supply chain in Asia – where the cruel cage confinement of countless birds continues with no commitment made to change this. Why the double standard, Kewpie?

Kewpie claims to care, but perhaps the truth of the matter is that Kewpie only cares about its brands’ reputation in countries with a higher level of awareness of the urgent need to end the cruel caging of hens.

To put this into perspective, numerous major corporations, such as KFC, PepsiCo, Unilever, Jollibee Food Corporation, Krispy Kreme, and Kraft-Heinz, have made global commitments to phase out cage eggs. These companies recognise the importance of aligning their practices with the growing global consensus against cage confinement.

Two photos. On the left is a person wearing a large doll's head costume with horns. They are holding a sign in Indonesian. On the right is a woman holding a placard that says 44,506. She is standing in front of tall buildings. — Kewpie protest, Indonesia – Petition handover, Japan.

This is an issue people care about. Over 44,000 people signed a petition urging Kewpie to extend its cage-free egg commitment to all its markets worldwide. This was delivered to Kewpie’s headquarters in Japan, reflecting the widespread demand for a unified approach to animal welfare across all regions where the company operates. Despite being delivered to Kewpie’s HQ, this petition remains open to add the signatures of those who want to see an end to the cruel caging of hens.

Moreover, Kewpie’s social media channels have been flooded with thousands of comments from consumers of their mayo, calling on the company to stop using cage eggs globally. This is a reflection of increasing public demand for greater corporate responsibility and transparency in food production and the time is well overdue for Kewpie to join its competitors in doing the right thing for animal welfare.

As the campaign continues, the message to Kewpie is clear: extend your commitment to cage-free eggs globally. It’s time to treat all your customers the same and not serve up a lower-quality product to those in some countries.

Every step taken towards eliminating cage confinement is a step towards ensuring that all animals are treated with the respect and kindness they deserve.