Subang Jaya, Malaysia – MYDIN, Malaysia’s largest Halal hypermarket and retail chain, won praise yesterday from international NGO Lever Foundation for committing to selling only cage-free shell eggs at all of its locations nationwide by 2030.

“We will continuously cooperate with our suppliers and customers to achieve a 100% cage-free egg assortment for all shell eggs sold in Mydin stores by 2030. The transition will begin at selected stores in March 2023 and expand to all stores across Malaysia,” shares MYDIN.

The shift will be adopted across the company’s 66 hypermarkets, emporiums, and other retail outlets nationally.

“We congratulate MYDIN on setting this excellent cage-free egg goal, which will further boost food safety and quality for customers while also improving the welfare of laying hens,” said Vilosha Sivaraman, Sustainability Program Manager at Lever Foundation, which worked with MYDIN on its commitment. “The new goal demonstrates MYDIN’s passion and attention to providing high quality and sustainable products for its customers and will set an example for other retailers in Malaysia.”

Animal protection and food safety organizations around the world encourage a switch to cage-free eggs, which are more humane to animals and safer for consumers. Research by the European Food Safety Authority and others has found that cage-free egg farms are up to 25 times less likely to be contaminated with key strains of salmonella compared to hens raised in cages. Battery cage egg production has been banned throughout the European Union as well as in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Canada, India, and parts of the United States. 

In recent years a growing list of food brands have pledged to use only cage-free eggs across Asia. In Malaysia restaurant and café chains such as Old Town White Coffee and O’Brien’s Sandwich Shop, and Hospitality Groups such as Hatten Hotels and Ascott Malaysia, are among the many companies that have set their own timelines for shifting to use only cage-free eggs.

About Lever Foundation

Lever Foundation is a global NGO that works with leading food companies in Malaysia and across the region to help them upgrade their protein sourcing for a more humane, safe and sustainable supply chain, with a focus on cage-free eggs and alternative protein.