PoultryWorld: Vietnam’s first certified cage-free egg brand launched

One of the largest egg suppliers and processing companies in south Vietnam, Vinh Thanh Dat (V. Food) has joined the global cage-free movement by launching the first cage-free egg brand in the country.

The 2 single-floor, cage-free barns in Dong Nai province, about 100km north of Ho Chi Minh City, house 6,000 birds and can bring around 1.5 million cage-free eggs to the market a year.

The birds are able to rest on elevated perches and dust-bath in rice husk bedding. V.Food is the first producer and processing company to earn the certified Humane label in Vietnam, meeting dozens of requirements for the health, nutrition and management of cage-free hens under the Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) standards.

On the shelves soon
Consumers will be able to find V.Food’s cage-free eggs in the largest supermarket in the capital soon with the eggs packaged in paper boxes, differentiating them from other single-use plastics.

Truong Chi Thien, V.Food founder and general director: “We hope this new brand of certified cage-free eggs will be supported by consumers even though the pricing is higher at the beginning compared to eggs from caged hens that are already in the market. With consumers’ support, the number of hens freed from cages will increase as Vietnam’s egg production catches up with the regional cage-free trend.”

Hang Le, Humane Society International farm animal welfare manager in Vietnam, said he was delighted that producers and processors were working together to address welfare issues. He urged consumers to choose cage-free eggs: “This small change means a world of difference to each of those hens,” he said.