Retailer Auchan Wins Praise For Cage-Free Egg Commitment In Taiwan

PARIS,Oct. 14,2019 -- Auchan,one of the largest retailers in France and globally,won praise today for its announcement that it would sell only cage-free and free-range eggs in its Taiwan stores by 2025. With the move,Auchan joins CarreFour and Tesco as one of the first international retailers to commit to this key animal welfare policy in the greater China region.

"We applaud Auchan's announcement on this important animal welfare and food safety issue," said Katherine Ma,Program Manager for Lever Foundation,an international NGO that has worked with Auchan on moving toward cage-free eggs in Taiwan and mainland China. "Over fifty leading retail,restaurant,packaged goods and hospitality companies have committed to using only cage-free eggs in the greater China region. We commend Auchan for making the same excellent commitment for its stores in Taiwan."

Auchan is the second largest hypermarket chain in Taiwan,where it operates under the banner RT-Mart. The company's cage-free egg commitment for Taiwan was announced to the public in Auchan Holding's recently-released 2018 Annual Financial Report and Non-Financial Performance Statement,which states:

"All Auchan Retail countries,and EU members,have decided to stop selling eggs produced by battery hens under own-labels by 2025. This commitment was also made in Taiwan,which,like some other countries,has committed to extending this to all of its listed products (including national brands)."

Leading animal protection organizations in France,Taiwan and elsewhere encourage a switch to cage-free eggs,which are less cruel to animals and safer for consumers. On caged egg farms,each egg-laying hen is confined for nearly her entire life in a cage so small she can barely turn around. The European Food Safety Authority has found cage-free eggs are much safer for consumers,with a dramatically lower risk of salmonella contamination compared to eggs from farms that confine hens in cages.

Auchan now joins dozens of other leading food companies,including Pret A Manger,Starbucks,Danone,Nestle,Kraft,Kellogg,Mondelez,Unilever and others,who have also made cage-free egg commitments for the Greater China Region.

Lever Foundation is an international animal protection organization with staff operating out of the greater China region.

For more information,read Auchan Holdings' Report here (see page 153 of the Report):

https://www.auchan-holding.com/uploads/files/modules/articles/1553795293_5c9d08dd823c7.pdf

CONTACTMs. Katherine Ma +852 8171 1765 kma@lever.org.tw