Industry leaders officially launched the Philippine Cage-Free Association at the ILDEX Philippines 2026 exposition, establishing the country’s first dedicated organization focused on advancing cage-free egg production.

The association was formed to unite local producers, expand technical capabilities, and establish reliable supply chains to meet rising demand from the hospitality, food service, and retail sectors.

Global Food Partners, an international animal welfare organization, co-founded the group alongside local producers and agribusiness firms, including Bounty Plus Inc., Kingmerbi Corp., Dominant Asia Livestock Genetics Inc., and Sandalan Poultry Farm.

Serving as the group's exclusive technical partner, Global Food Partners will provide local members with technical training, farm transition guidance, barn retrofitting support, and market connections to corporate buyers.

"As consumer expectations around animal welfare and food production continue to evolve in the Philippines, cage-free eggs represent an important opportunity for the local egg industry," said Dino Diño, associate vice president for supply chain and demand planning at Bounty Plus Inc.

"The association will help create a stronger platform for producers to share experience, respond to changing market expectations, and work together to develop the sector," he added.

The launch comes amid a shift in corporate procurement and consumer preference toward higher animal welfare standards across Southeast Asia.

Local producers transitioning from conventional battery cage systems to cage-free housing have increasingly sought technical guidance to meet international welfare guidelines and secure long-term commercial buyers.

"The launch of the Philippine Cage-Free Association marks an important step for producers as the country's cage-free market develops," said J. Signey, Global Food Partners' Philippine country lead.

"We look forward to bringing GFP’s experience together with the knowledge of Philippine producers to provide practical technical support and help build a strong foundation for the sector's continued growth," he added.