Jaipur, 21 September: People for Animals Public Policy Foundation and Global Food Partners, in collaboration with Hotel Clarks Amer in Jaipur, hosted a Cage-Free Egg Meet. It successfully brought together around 50 attendees, including key representatives from international hospitality chains and cage-free egg producers across India. The event emphasised the need for the hospitality sector to prioritise sustainability and animal welfare, particularly through the use of cage-free eggs.

Secretary of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan, Ravi Jain, highlighted the urgency of eliminating cruelty from food supply chains and urged hotels to transition to cage-free eggs. He said, “It has become imperative for hotels to include animal welfare and build ethical practices and sustainability into their supply chains. Like us, farm animals are sentient beings who feel pain and suffering. They must not be subject to unnecessary cruelty and violence.”

Managing Director of Hotel Clarks Amer, Apurv Kumar, reinforced the importance of integrating animal welfare into hotel operations. He added, “Change begins with oneself," sharing that he has been vegan for over a decade for ethical reasons and is committed to incorporating welfare and ethical principles into his business practices. 

In attendance were representatives from about 15 leading hotels, such as Hyatt Regency, Marriott Hotels, Hilton Hotels, Le Meridien Hotels, Radisson Hotels, BWH Hotels, ITC Rajputana, and Novotel Jaipur. The event highlighted the growing role of hotels in driving ethical consumption by integrating humane sourcing practices into their supply chains.

The event featured keynote speeches from experts, including Trustee of the People for Animals Public Policy Foundation, Gauri Maulekhi, an animal welfare organisation that helps corporations incorporate animal welfare into their sourcing policies; Lead, Corporate Engagement, Global Food Partners, Crysel Garg, a Singapore-based consultancy that aids companies in achieving cage-free goals; and the Central Avian Research Institute, under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Government of India, which provides training to corporate suppliers in cage-free egg production.

Gauri Maulekhi said, “It is heartening to see thousands of corporations worldwide prioritising animal welfare and ethical food supply practices by transitioning to sourcing cage-free eggs. Indian consumers increasingly want humanely-sourced food and hospitality companies must cater to this demand.” 

The conference underscored the critical partnership between the hospitality sector and cage-free egg producers in meeting the growing demand for humane and sustainable food sources. Vice President of Operations, BWH Hotels, Vijay Bajpai said, “India has been a challenging market for us as there is limited supply of cage-free eggs. This event brought institutional consumers and cage-free producers under one roof and enabled us to find the right partners to supply eggs to our properties nationwide. We believe we will now be able to meet our 2025 deadline.”