Gastronomía y Negocios, a Chilean restaurant company that operates the popular chains Doggis, Juan Maestro, and Mamut, has committed to sourcing exclusively cage-free eggs and crate-free pork in its entire supply chain in Chile by 2025.  The company operates over 250 locations in the country.

In Chile, the majority of egg-laying hens are confined in battery cages, small, wire enclosures that prevent the animals from moving freely or stretching their wings. Each battery cage confines five to 10 egg-laying hens and each animal has less space than a letter-sized piece of paper on which to spend her whole life. Hens confined in battery cages are unable to express important natural behaviors, including nesting, dustbathing, and perching. These types of enclosures are common in Chilean egg farms.

Breeding sows are also frequently confined for virtually their whole lives, or up to four years, in individual gestation crates so small that the animals cannot turn around or take more than a couple of steps forward or backward.

Cage and crate-free systems generally offer hens and pigs higher levels of animal welfare than caged systems.

Ignacia Uribe, corporate policy and program manager for HSI Farm Animals in Chile, stated: “We’re proud to have discussed these important animal welfare improvements with Gastronomía y Negocios and applaud the company for its commitment to eliminate pork from gestation crates and eggs from battery cages from its supply chain. By renouncing battery cages and gestation crates, companies around the world are meeting the growing demand for higher welfare products and generating change in the egg and pork industries.”

Support farm animals.

Gastronomía y Negocios joins other companies that have committed to making similar animal welfare improvements in Chile, including Melting Cook, Kraft Heinz, Unilever, Grupo Bimbo, Compass Group, Sodexo, Subway, McDonald’s, Burger King and Alsea.

Media contact: Raúl Arce-Contreras, rcontreras@humanesociety.org