Food systems around the world are being reshaped by growing expectations around sustainability, transparency, and responsible sourcing. What was once viewed as a niche ethical concern is now becoming a strategic business priority, with animal welfare increasingly linked to supply chain resilience, risk management, food quality, and long term value creation. As companies strengthen their environmental, social, and governance commitments, higher welfare sourcing practices are gaining prominence within corporate sustainability agendas.
Within this evolving landscape, India’s food and agriculture sector is witnessing a gradual but significant shift towards cage free egg production, driven by corporate commitments, producer innovation, and collaborative industry action. Global Food Partners has been at the forefront of this transition, working to bridge the gap between sustainability ambitions and on ground implementation through farmer training, financing mechanisms, and market development initiatives.
In this interview, Ms. Elissa Lane, Chief Executive Officer and Co Founder of Global Food Partners, discusses how animal welfare is becoming an integral part of responsible business practices, the opportunities and challenges shaping the cage free movement, and why building a commercially viable ecosystem is essential to creating a more ethical, transparent, and future ready food supply chain.
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Q. As food systems globally come under greater scrutiny for their ethical and environmental impact, how do you see animal welfare evolving from a niche compliance issue into a core pillar of corporate sustainability and responsible sourcing strategies?
A. Animal welfare has moved decisively from a peripheral compliance consideration to a recognised dimension of responsible business. As ESG frameworks have matured, investors, regulators, and institutional buyers, like food and hospitality buyers, have come to view animal welfare in food supply chains as carrying material implications for risk management, brand reputation, and long-term value creation.
This shift is most visible in the growing number of global food companies that have adopted cage-free egg commitments and are now moving from policy to active implementation, including in India.
In India, companies including Compass Group, Sodexo, Marriott International, and Accor have adopted cage-free sourcing commitments and are now actively working toward implementation. At Global Food Partners (GFP), we support many of these companies through highly localised strategies that bridge the gap between global commitments and on-the-ground realities. This includes conducting supply chain mapping, developing implementation roadmaps, training procurement and leadership teams, connecting buyers directly with local cage-free producers, and helping companies address temporary sourcing gaps through GFP’s cage-free credit mechanism, Impact Incentives.
We are also seeing stronger industry collaboration emergearound these issues. The participation of companies such as Compass Group, Lagardère Travel Retail, and PizzaExpress in GFP’s Impact Incentives mechanism, alongside the launch of the Global Coalition for Animal Welfare’s (GCAW) India Cage-Free Egg Working Group in May 2026, are strong signals that animal welfare is increasingly being treated as a mainstream sustainability issue rather than a niche ethical concern.
In this context, animal welfare is consolidating as a core pillar of sustainable procurement standing alongside climate action, traceability, food safety and social impactwithin corporate sustainable agendas.
Q. Global Food Partners operates at the intersection of business, agriculture, and welfare advocacy. How do you balance commercial realities with the long-term goal of transforming production systems across emerging markets like India?
A. GFP’s approach has always been market-led rather than advocacy-led. We work with commercial realities, not against them. In emerging markets like India, long-term transformation of food production systems will only succeed if animal welfare improvements are economically viable for the businesses and farmers expected to implement them.
Rather than calling for abrupt system-wide shifts, we focus on enabling gradual, commercially viable transitions: supporting credible demand signals from buyers, de-risking early adopters through technical and financial assistance, and building supply-side capacity that can grow with that demand.
In practice, this means helping create credible demand signals from corporate buyers, reducing risk for early-adopting farmers through technical and financial support, and building supply-side capacity that can scale alongside demand. In India, for example, GFP has helped establishthe country’s first cage-free training centres in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, supported the development of the Cage-Free Free-Range Producers Association of India, and worked directly with farmers transitioning from cage systems to cage-free production.
We also recognise that one of the biggest barriers to transition is financial. Many producers are interested in moving toward higher-welfare systems but are concerned about upfront investment costs and uncertainty around long-term demand. To address this, GFP has helped design financing mechanisms including cage-free transition loans and Impact Incentives — our cage-free credit mechanism that channels corporate funding directly into farm transitions and higher-welfare production.
At the corporate level, we work closely with companies to make implementation commercially realistic. This includes supplier mapping, buyer–producer connections, procurement training, implementation roadmaps, and strategies that allow companies to progress toward their commitments even in markets where supply is still developing.
The result is a more durable transition model: companies can advance their sustainability commitments in a practical and cost-effective way, while farmers gain access to viablebusiness opportunities, stronger buyer relationships, and production systems that are both commercially sustainable and higher welfare.
Q. India is one of the world’s largest egg producers, yet cage-free adoption remains relatively limited. From your perspective, what are the biggest structural and behavioural barriers preventing faster transition within the country’s poultry ecosystem?
A. India’s poultry sector presents a unique set of opportunities and challenges as the market begins transitioning toward higher-welfare production systems. Compared to more mature cage-free markets, India is still in an earlier stage of ecosystem development, which means there is significant room for innovation, collaboration, and scalable growth.
From GFP’s on-the-ground experience, the key focus areas for accelerating adoption include strengthening supply-side capacity, building long-term demand confidence, and continuing to demonstrate commercially viable transition models.
One important area is producer readiness. While interest in cage-free production is growing, many farmers are still seeking greater access to technical expertise, demonstration farms, and practical training on cage-free flock management, barn systems, biosecurity, and pullet rearing. This is why GFP has invested in training centres, producer networks, and technical support programmes that help farmers build confidence and reduce transition risk.
Another key factor is market certainty. Corporate cage-free commitments in India are increasing, particularly among hospitality and food service companies, and the next phase is translating those commitments into stable, long-term procurement relationships that give producers confidence to invest. GFP plays an active role in bridging this gap by connecting buyers with producers, supporting sourcing strategies, and helping companies operationalise their commitments locally.
Cost competitiveness also remains an important consideration in a highly price-sensitive market. However, this is precisely where collaborative market mechanisms can accelerate progress. GFP’s Impact Incentives programme, for example, helps companies support higher-welfare production while easing the transition burden on producers during the early growth phase of the market.
India’s poultry industry is also highly dynamic and entrepreneurial. Many producers are increasingly interested in exploring differentiated production systems, particularly when they can see successful local examples and clearer buyer demand. As more farms transition and more companies begin sourcing consistently, the market becomes progressively easier for the next wave of producers to enter.
Importantly, meaningful progress is already happening. India now has dedicated cage-free training infrastructure, an emerging producer network, growing corporate engagement, and innovative financing and implementation models that did not exist a few years ago. The momentum is building, and the ecosystem is becoming more coordinated each year.
What makes the transition promising is that the solutions are increasingly collaborative: producers, companies, technical experts, and industry groups are beginning to work together around a shared goal of building a commercially viable and scalable higher-welfare egg sector in India
Q. Compass Group India’s use of cage-free credits introduces a relatively new model for the Indian market. How do you believe incentive-based mechanisms can accelerate systemic change in sectors where supply chains are still underdeveloped?
A. In markets where supply chains are still being established, incentive-based mechanisms play a catalytic role that traditional procurement models cannot. They allow companies to contribute meaningfully to supply chain development before the infrastructure for direct sourcing at scale is in place.
GFP’s Impact Incentives work on a straightforward principle: one credit represents one thousand cage-free eggs produced by a verified Indian producer. When a company purchases credits, the financial premium flows directly to the producer ,covering a portion of the cost differential between cage-free and conventional production and helping producers recoup their transition investment more quickly. Critically, this decouples demand signalling from immediate procurement constraints, allowing companies to support capacity-building even when direct sourcing at the required volumes is not yet feasible.
The model also generates something that is difficult to manufacture through advocacy alone: a business case. When producers see a tangible financial return, and when companies see verifiable progress against their commitments , the case for further investment strengthens on both sides. Compass Group India, Lagardère Travel Retail, and PizzaExpress have all demonstrated that this approach can work in practice, and their participation is helping to establish the proof points that will attract the next wave of buyers.
Q. The initiative supports farms such as U and V Agro, Hensway India, and Happy Hens Farm in expanding cage-free capacities. Could you share what measurable outcomes or on-ground improvements you expect these investments to deliver over the next few years?
A. For farms like Farm Made Foods (U and V Agro), Hensway India, and Happy Hens Farm, all of which hold Certified Humane status- an internationally-recognisedanimal welfare certification- the outcomes we are tracking operate at two levels: farm-level performance and ecosystem-level impact.
At the farm level, key indicators include:
• Productivity performance: improvements in egg yield per hen, reductions in mortality rates, and stronger flock health indicators as management practices mature.
• Financial sustainability: measurable reduction in the cost differential between cage-free and conventional production as systems stabilise and producers move along the learning curve.
• Market access: growth in the number of secured off-take agreements and repeat buyers, including direct supply relationships with GCAW member companies.
• Scale: expansion of certified flock capacity, with several producers in GFP’s network targeting two- to four-fold increases in production over the next three years.
At the ecosystem level, what matters equally is the creation of replicable, well-documented case studies. Each successfully scaled producer reduces the perceived risk for the next wave of farms considering transition demonstrating that cage-free production in India is commercially viable, technically manageable, and capable of meeting the quality standards required by institutional buyers.
Q. Beyond animal welfare, cage-free systems are increasingly being linked with farmer livelihoods, rural entrepreneurship, and resilient food systems. How does GFP position this transition as both an ethical and socio-economic opportunity for local farming communities?
A. GFP positions the cage-free transition not as an animal welfare intervention with economic side effects, but as a pathway to more inclusive and resilient rural economic development — where improved welfare outcomes and improved farmer incomes are pursued in tandem.
In practical terms, this means enabling cage-free producers to access premium urban buyers and institutional procurement channels that were previously inaccessible to them, improving farmgate prices for verified cage-free eggs, and creating new livelihood opportunities in adjacent areas such as barn construction, flock management consulting, and certification-linked services. In some contexts, lower capital intensity relative to large-scale conventional operations also makes cage-free more accessible to smaller or first-generation farm enterprises.
The partnerships GFP has developed with organisationssuch as Timbaktu Collective in Andhra Pradesh and the Cage-free Free-range Producer Association (CFFRPA) in Tamil Nadu reflect this dual mandate: combining welfare-aligned production standards with a genuine commitment to strengthening local farming communities and rural value chains. The transition, done well, can simultaneously raise welfare standards, increase farmer incomes, and build the kind of transparent, traceable supply chains that institutional buyers increasingly require.
Q. The new training centre near Bangalore appears to move the conversation from policy commitments to capability building. What kind of practical knowledge, operational training, and long-term support mechanisms will farmers receive through this initiative?
A. The training centre is designed to address one of the most critical and most underappreciated bottlenecks in India’s cage-free transition: practical know-how. Technical knowledge gaps remain a significant barrier to adoption, and the centre is structured to close them through hands-on, context-specific training rather than theoretical instruction.
Farmers who come through the programme receive support across four areas:
• Farm design and conversion planning: site assessments, barn layout templates, and farm-specific costed transition roadmaps that reflect local input costs, land configurations, and market conditions.
• Flock management: hands-on training on enrichment design, nesting systems, stocking densities, and welfare-aligned husbandry practices calibrated to Indian climatic conditions.
• Biosecurity and productivity: region-specific protocols to manage the health, mortality, and output efficiency risks that are often cited as deterrents to cage-free adoption.
• Ongoing advisory and peer learning: structured follow-up support and access to GFP’s producer network so that farmers navigating the early phases of transition are not doing so alone.
The emphasis throughout is on long-term capability building rather than one-off interventions. The goal is for each trained producer to become, over time, a resource for the next generation of farmers considering the transition — building the kind of distributed technical knowledge base that can sustain the ecosystem independently of continued external support.
Q. Many companies announce sustainability commitments, but implementation often remains fragmented. In your experience, what distinguishes organisations like Compass Group India that are willing to invest in foundational ecosystem development rather than only meeting short-term targets?
A. The companies that drive real, durable change share a particular disposition: they think in systems rather than transactions. In the case of Compass Group India, afounding partner of the GCAW India Cage-Free EggWorking Group initiative, this has meant going well beyond demand signalling to actively co-investing in the conditions that make supply possible.
In practice, this approach involves three things that distinguish ecosystem investors from compliance-driven buyers:
• Recognising that supply chains need to be built, not just sourced from: the infrastructure for cage-free supply in India did not exist at the scale required. Companies willing to engage early understand that their participation is part of what creates that infrastructure.
• Investing in upstream capacity and accepting transitional pricing dynamics: this includes participating in incentive-based mechanisms, tolerating the cost realities of early-stage supply, and providing the kind of sustained, predictable demand signals that producers need to justify capital investment.
• Taking a phased, long-term approach: rather than focusing narrowly on near-term compliance metrics, these organisations set credible implementation roadmaps and remain engaged through the inevitable complexity of building something new in a market that has not done it before.
This approach creates changes that outlast any single procurement relationship. It is also, ultimately, better commercial strategy because companies that help build the supply chain secure the relationships, knowledge, and supply access that late movers will have to compete for.
Q. With companies such as Kellanova, Best Western Hotels, Lagardère Travel Retail, and PizzaExpress also adopting Impact Incentives, are you beginning to see stronger industry-wide momentum around cage-free sourcing in Asia? Could you share any emerging trends or data points that indicate where the movement is headed?
A. Yes, we are definitely seeing stronger momentum around cage-free sourcing across Asia, particularly over the last few years. What is encouraging is that the conversation has evolved well beyond policy announcements — companies are increasingly focusing on practical implementation, supplier engagement, and long-term market development.
Today, more than 70 companies operating in Asia have established cage-free commitments, and around 70% now publicly report some level of progress toward those goals. That increase in transparency alone reflects how much more mainstream animal welfare and responsible sourcing have become within corporate sustainability strategies.
What is especially promising is the emergence of companies taking proactive, solutions-oriented approaches to implementation. Businesses such as Kellanova, Best Western Hotels & Resorts, Lagardère Travel Retail, and PizzaExpress adopting GFP’s Impact Incentives mechanism demonstrates growing recognition that building cage-free supply chains requires investment in producer transition and market infrastructure, not only procurement commitments.
We are also seeing encouraging examples of companies combining direct sourcing with mechanisms like Impact Incentives to accelerate implementation in supply-constrained markets. In several Asian markets, this blended approach is already helping companies achieve significant levels of cage-free sourcing while simultaneously supporting the expansion of local production capacity.
In India specifically, the launch of the Global Coalition for Animal Welfare’s (GCAW) India Cage-Free Egg Initiative in May 2026 — with Compass Group, Elior Group, and Sodexo as founding members — represents an important milestone. It signals a shift toward more coordinated, multi-company engagement in building a reliable cage-free supply ecosystem in the country.
More broadly, the trend across Asia is moving from isolated corporate commitments toward collaborative market-building. Companies increasingly understand that scaling cage-free sourcing requires long-term partnerships with producers, technical support, training infrastructure, financing solutions, and stronger coordination across the value chain.
That evolution is very significant because it shows the market is maturing. Animal welfare is no longer being treated solely as a compliance issue — it is increasingly viewed as part of building more resilient, transparent, and future-oriented food systems
Q. Looking ahead, what would meaningful success for Global Food Partners in India look like over the next five to ten years — not just in terms of cage-free numbers, but in building a more ethical, transparent, and future-ready food supply chain ecosystem?
A. Meaningful success in India, for us, would be defined by structural change. The markers we are working towards include:
• A self-sustaining, scalable, and certified cage-free supply ecosystem: a critical mass of producers across India’s major production states, operating commercially viable cage-free systems, holding third-party certification, and supplying a growing base of institutional buyers without requiring ongoing transitional support.
• Genuine alignment between corporate commitments and procurement practice: a market in which companies that have made cage-free pledges are actively sourcing verified cage-free eggs in India and where GFP’s role has evolved from market-builder to independent verifier and advisor.
• A regulatory and standards environment that reinforces the market: formal recognition of cage-free as a distinct, legally defined egg category under Indian food law through FSSAI labelling standards and BIS grading criteria creating a level playing field and making mislabelling harder.
• Increased farmer participation with viable, replicable business models: the transition embedded in agricultural extension, financing schemes, and producer networks such that new entrants have a clear, supported pathway to certification and market access.
• Transparency and traceability across the egg value chain: the tools and data infrastructure for buyers to verify sourcing claims, for producers to demonstrate compliance, and for the broader industry to track progress objectively.
Ultimately, success would mean that certified cage-free production in India is no longer seen as a niche proposition or an imported standard — but as a measurable, commercially integrated, and widely understood part of India’s food system.
We are already seeing important foundations for that future emerge: growing corporate engagement, expanding producer capacity, stronger industry collaboration, and increasing investment in implementation infrastructure. GFP’s role is to help accelerate and strengthen this transition so that higher-welfare production becomes an enduring and self-sustaining part of India’s evolving food sector.
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