Building a Cage-Free Egg Supply Chain in India
Sodexo India is committed to advancing the transition to cage-free egg sourcing, while supporting responsible sourcing, animal welfare and sustainable livelihoods. Advancing cage-free sourcing in India requires more than demand alone. It also requires investment in farmers, suppliers, infrastructure and industry collaboration to help build a sustainable supply ecosystem. Our approach combines industry collaboration with supplier development to strengthen local capacity and support long-term growth in cage-free egg production.
Sodexo is working with industry partners, including the Global Coalition for Animal Welfare (GCAW), to better understand supply and demand in India and identify pathways to accelerate progress. This collaboration complements our investments in local farmers and suppliers by helping strengthen the broader ecosystem needed to support long-term growth in cage-free sourcing.
Investing in Women-Led Cage-Free Farming
In November 2025, Sodexo expanded its long-term partnership with Sulabh International on community development initiatives that create positive impact, to support the establishment of Nature Life, a women-led cage-free egg farming initiative.
Nature Life began as an idea within the Sodexo India leadership team to support responsible sourcing, while creating sustainable economic livelihoods in rural farming communities where we already source.
Our association with Sulabh International, and its focus on strengthening the economic resilience of village communities, provided an opportunity to bring this idea to life. With Sulabh’s strong community connect and Sodexo India’s funding, expertise and network, the conceptual model for cage-free egg farming evolved into the Nature Life women-led farmer initiative.
Sodexo has focused on providing funding and support to build the infrastructure, capabilities and ecosystem needed to make this model sustainable, including:
- Establishing the cage-free poultry farm, with infrastructure upgrades aligned with Certified Humane® standards.
- Assisting with the certification process, business registrations and licences.
- Establishing Self-Help Groups (SHGs).
- Providing technical assistance and capability development to farmers.
Following these steps, Nature Life has successfully achieved Certified Humane® certification for its cage-free egg production. This certification confirms that the farm meets animal welfare standards for cage-free egg production, including requirements for space, natural behaviours, feed quality and environmental conditions.
What began with 30 farmers has grown to 50 farmers, empowering women to build sustainable economic livelihoods and animal welfare outcomes. With certification now in place, sourcing will be scaled to cover the full production capacity of the farm, with the eggs to be used at sites in western India.
Nature Life is an important step in Sodexo India’s broader cage-free egg strategy. It demonstrates a model that is scalable, replicable across other farming communities, and commercially viable for farmers, suppliers and consumers.
Building on this success, Sodexo has commenced investment in a neighbouring farm with approximately double the production capacity, to make it certification ready in 2027. Funding support will continue to be provided to Nature Life for maintenance and upgrades as required.
The Road Ahead
The transition to cage-free sourcing is a long-term journey that requires sustained investments, collaborations and supply chain development.
Today, the market faces several challenges, including limited awareness and demand, a developing and geographically concentrated supply base, certification requirements, and the cost premium associated with cage-free eggs. Addressing these barriers will require action across the value chain and cannot be achieved by any one organisation alone.
Sodexo India is committed to addressing these challenges, through initiatives such as Nature Life, supplier development and industry collaboration. Together, these efforts are helping strengthen our progress towards increased cage-free egg sourcing.