HO CHI MINH CITY, Viet Nam—Safe Food, a food retailer in Ho Chi Minh City, announced it will only use cage-free eggs by 2028 through a recent collaboration with Gia Vien Farm, an egg producer set on a fivefold expansion of its cage-free systems. The initiative, backed by the global animal protection charity Humane Society International, is set to receive continuous technical guidance to ensure its successful implementation.

Viet Nam is home to nearly 86 million hens used for their eggs, the majority of which are confined in cages and unable to fully stretch their wings. The partnership between Safe Food and Gia Vien Farms will provide hens space to move freely within the barn and express their natural behavior, including ground scratching, pecking, laying their eggs in nests and socializing with their peers. Gia Vien Farm houses 2,000 hens in cage-free systems and plans to increase this number to 10,000 hens in the coming year. With this move, the producer is aligning with a worldwide movement observed among food businesses, producers, and governmental regulatory bodies, highlighting the importance of a supply chain that prioritizes strong animal welfare practice

Mrs. Le Van,  Director of Sales at Safe Food, shared: “We understand that this journey may pose challenges, but we are wholeheartedly committed to working closely with Gia Vien Farm, our customers, and our partners to ensure a seamless and successful transition. Our customers can continue to trust Safe Food for safe, high-quality products that adhere to the highest ethical and quality standards.”

Ms. An Tran, HSI’s Farm Animal Welfare and Protection Viet Nam Program Manager, extended a message of appreciation, stating: “Safe Food‘s decision to go cage-free  will relieve hens from a life of extreme confinement and sends a clear message to the egg industry that the future of egg production is cage-free.”  Tran further emphasized, “We look forward to working together to create a brighter future for hens in the country by ending the use of cages.”

Cage-free production systems, like those at Gia Vien Farm, offer hens higher levels of welfare. In collaboration with Safe Food and other food industry stakeholders such as Vinh Thanh Dat Food Corporation, Mondelēz Kinh Do, and Fusion Hotel Group in Viet Nam and worldwide, HSI is dedicated to facilitating a successful transition to higher animal welfare production systems such as cage and crate-free.

ENDS

Media contact: Tham Hong Phuong, country director for HSI in Viet Nam ; phuongth@hsi.org