Animal Welfare at Sodexo

Animal welfare at Sodexo is rooted in responsible sourcing, the Five Freedoms and collaboration with our suppliers to improve standards across our global supply chains.

In FY25, the financial year running from September 2024 to August 2025, 86% of the shell and liquid eggs we sourced across the markets covered by our 2025 cage-free commitment were cage-free, measured in shell-egg-equivalent kilograms and excluding processed products. We had reached an estimated 93% by December 2025 in the same markets, a single-month snapshot rather than a full-year average (Sodexo Animal Welfare Performance Report, FY25).

On cage-free eggs, Sodexo is one of the few companies to publish country-level results. This transparency makes both our progress and remaining gaps visible, alongside the actions and roadmaps to address them.

Our geographic footprint is an important part of this picture. We have a substantial presence in markets where cage-free supply remains limited. Delivering our commitments therefore means not only changing what we buy, but also helping producers build the capacity, infrastructure and certification needed to expand physical supply.

We report performance every year across laying hens, broiler chickens, pork and other species, country by country, including the markets where our progress is slower. We are a founding member of the Global Coalition for Animal Welfare, and more than 1,344 suppliers have signed our Animal Welfare Supplier Charter.

Freedom from hunger and thirst, through ready access to fresh water and a diet that maintains full health and vigor.
Freedom from discomfort, through an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
Freedom from pain, injury or disease, through prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
Freedom to express normal behavior, through sufficient space, proper facilities and the company of the animal's own kind.
Freedom from fear and distress, through conditions and treatment that avoid mental suffering.

Animal welfare sits inside responsible sourcing rather than alongside it. Compliance across our global supply chains is managed by our sustainability and supply management teams, and that oversight is reviewed by our sustainability governance bodies.

Working closely with our suppliers is central to how we put these commitments into practice. As of 31 August 2025, our Animal Welfare Supplier Charter had been translated into 18 languages and signed by more than 1,344 suppliers.

Animal welfare also forms part of our wider Better Tomorrow 2028 sustainability roadmap, alongside our commitment to sustainable eating and the development of more plant-forward, lower-carbon menus.

Our commitments and targets

We committed to sourcing 100% cage-free shell and liquid eggs by 2025 in countries representing 88% of our revenue. That 88% figure refers to revenue, not to egg volumes.

Across those markets, our cage-free sourcing reached 86% in FY25, measured in shell-egg-equivalent kilograms across shell and liquid eggs and excluding processed products. Our estimated position at December 2025 was 93%, below the 100% target. In markets where the transition to shell and liquid eggs is complete and conditions allow, we have extended our commitment to other processed eggs.

Markets representing 12% of our revenue face structural barriers that prevented a transition by 2025, including limited infrastructure, higher costs, regulatory gaps and supply chain complexity. For these markets we set country-specific roadmaps running to 2030 or 2035, which we reassess annually, and we are prepared to accelerate those timelines if market conditions move faster than expected.

Those roadmaps carry published interim milestones. In India, our published trajectory is 10% by 2028, 30% by 2030, 60% by 2032 and 100% by 2035.

On broiler chickens, we have committed to the European Chicken Commitment (ECC) criteria across our European sourcing and to the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) in the United States, and we report progress against each criterion rather than as a single figure. Each commitment applies to the geography for which it was made. Our commitments on pork and other species are set at country level and are described on the species pages.

Figures are sourced from our FY25 Animal Welfare Performance Report, which covers September 2024 to August 2025 and includes an additional estimated performance snapshot for December 2025.

Reducing our reliance on animal protein

Animal welfare is one half of our position on animal protein. The other is serving less of it. Our “less but better” approach pairs higher welfare standards in sourcing with menus that rely less on animal protein and offer more plant-based options.

In the final quarter of FY25, plant-based main dishes accounted for 29% of our central menus, rising to 33% where client requirements allow. This sits alongside a separate target for 70% low-carbon main dishes by 2030, which is a carbon measure rather than a plant-based one.

Our performance by species

We report performance separately for each species, and the basis of measurement differs between them.

Cage-free eggs performance

Across the markets covered by our 2025 commitment, FY25 cage-free sourcing reached 79% for shell eggs and 90% for liquid eggs, a combined 86% by volume. At the estimated December 2025 snapshot, the same measures stood at 94% for shell eggs, 92% for liquid eggs and 93% combined. The December figure covers one month and is an estimate; it shows the level we reached at calendar year-end rather than performance sustained across the year.

Broiler chickens performance

Across the European scope assessed against European Chicken Commitment criteria, covering approximately 91% of our raw and processed chicken volumes, FY25 improved on FY24 against every criterion measured in both years. We reached full compliance with EU animal welfare law and close to full compliance on avoiding cages and multi-tier systems. Breed and stocking density remain the furthest from target. We report progress against individual criteria separately from full ECC compliance, which is assessed cumulatively across all criteria and which we have not yet reached.

Pork and other species performance

All of the pork we source in Belgium complies with the Better Living (Beter Leven) 1 Star standard, and the rabbit meat we source there comes exclusively from cage-free systems. Our animal welfare reporting scope covers 98.5% of consolidated Group revenue. Full figures by country and category are published in our Animal Welfare Performance Report, FY25.

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Our partners and how we are assessed

Sodexo is a founding member of the Global Coalition for Animal Welfare (GCAW), which supports pre-competitive industry collaboration. In 2025, GCAW established an India-focused working group supported by Global Food Partners. We also participate in the US Compassion in World Farming Broiler Chicken Working Group.

We report our animal welfare performance in our FY25 Animal Welfare Performance Report. Country-specific sourcing examples in that report include the Better Living (Beter Leven) 1 Star standard for pork in Belgium.

Frequently asked questions

Sodexo’s animal welfare strategy is built on the Five Freedoms and delivered through our supply chain. Our principal commitment is 100% cage-free shell and liquid eggs by 2025 in countries representing 88% of revenue, a revenue measure rather than a volume one, extended to other processed eggs where the shell and liquid transition is complete. Markets representing 12% of revenue have extended roadmaps running to 2030 or 2035, which we reassess annually and which carry published interim milestones. Our commitments on broiler chicken and pork are set out on the species pages.
Sodexo publishes an Animal Welfare Performance Report once a year, covering our fiscal year from September to August. The current edition covers FY25, September 2024 to August 2025, and reports cage-free progress country by country for shell, liquid and processed eggs, alongside broiler and other species data. We calculate the headline cage-free rate by volume in shell-egg-equivalent kilograms, covering shell and liquid eggs and excluding processed products, across the markets under our 2025 commitment. The report also includes an estimated snapshot for December 2025, which covers one month rather than the full year. Our reporting scope covers 98.5% of consolidated Group revenue.