Lever Foundation

MANILA — The Philippines has emerged as Asia’s leader in sustainable food sourcing, with seven out of 10 major restaurant brands and nearly 80% of chain restaurant locations in the country now committed to eliminating the use of caged eggs, according to the 2025 Philippines Restaurant Industry Cage-Free Egg Scorecard, released by Lever Foundation.

Of 67 leading restaurant brands evaluated—representing the vast majority of the Philippines’ dining landscape—47 chains operating 11,277 locations have pledged to fully transition to cage-free eggs. This represents 78% of all chain restaurant locations nationwide—the highest concentration in Asia.

This total includes brands that have already completed their transition, such as Nanyang and Peri-Peri, along with many of the industry’s biggest names, which have set timelines to implement 100% cage-free sourcing in the years ahead. Filipino favorites, including Jollibee, Max’s, Chowking, Mang Inasal, Red Ribbon, Greenwich, and Shakey’s, have made pledges, alongside international giants such as KFC, Dunkin’, Pizza Hut, Subway, and Burger King.

“The Philippines restaurant industry has demonstrated remarkable leadership in adopting cage-free egg policies,” said Robyn Del Rosario, sustainability program lead at Lever Foundation, an international NGO that collaborated with all of the domestic restaurant groups and a number of international groups in developing their policies. “With 70% of major restaurant brands—representing 78% of chain restaurant locations across the country—already committed to cage-free egg sourcing, we’re witnessing the sector’s recognition that animal welfare, food safety, and sustainability are essential business priorities.”

The shift to cage-free eggs addresses both animal welfare and food quality. Cage-free systems allow hens to move freely and engage in natural behaviors such as nesting, perching, dust-bathing, and short flights in indoor barn environments—behaviors completely restricted in conventional battery cage systems where hens spend their entire lives in spaces smaller than a sheet of paper.

Dozens of peer-reviewed scientific studies have documented that hens raised outside cages produce eggs with improved food safety profiles, higher nutritional value, and better quality metrics. The Philippine government recognized this shift in 2020 when the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards developed comprehensive animal welfare guidelines for cage-free eggs. Meanwhile, an increasing number of consumers are opting for plant-based alternatives, choosing to leave eggs off their plates entirely as the best way to support hen welfare.

The momentum in the country’s restaurant sector accelerated significantly over the past year, with three major restaurant groups setting cage-free egg policies for a combined 2,140 locations. These groups are 333 Foods (operating BreadTalk, Nanyang, and Banana Leaf), Max’s Group (operating Pancake House and Yellow Cab), and Century Pacific Food, Inc. (operating Shakey’s, Potato Corner, and Peri-Peri).

Only 20 of the leading chain restaurant brands in the country still serve caged eggs to their customers, with no timeline for shifting to cage-free. These include Goldilocks (which publicly pledged to set a cage-free egg policy by the end of 2025, but failed to do so), Army Navy, Wildflour, Nono’s, Italianni’s, McDonald’s, and Starbucks.

The 2025 Philippines Restaurant Industry Cage-Free Egg Scorecard evaluates companies on a four-tier scale: A (100% cage-free egg implementation achieved in the Philippines), B (global cage-free egg commitment and timeline), C (Philippines-specific cage-free egg commitment and timeline), and F (no cage-free egg policy in the Philippines).

“The transformation we’re seeing is remarkable, and we’re eager to collaborate with the remaining companies and share the learnings from industry leaders who’ve already made successful commitments,” said del Rosario. “The path forward is clear, and we’re confident more brands will catch up with this industry-wide shift in the year ahead. Cage-free sourcing is not just a more ethical choice—it’s becoming the baseline expectation from consumers and the competitive standard in the Philippines.”

MANILA — A national consumer survey carried out by leading APAC consumer research agency GMO Research has found that a large majority of Filipino consumers would like food companies—including restaurants, retailers, and packaged food brands—to increase their plant-based food offerings.

Tokyo-based GMO Research is one of the world’s ten largest consumer research agencies, with 55 million online panelists across 16 APAC countries and markets. The survey, which randomly polled hundreds of respondents from across the country, reflects the evolving attitudes of customers in seeking more nutritious and sustainable options from the food brands they patronize.

The nationwide survey found that 85% of respondents believe restaurants, hotels, and retailers should serve more plant-based foods. 80% said they are also more likely to patronize businesses that set policy goals to increase the amount of plant-based foods they serve. Additionally, 93% said food companies are responsible for managing the sustainability and health of their food supply chain.

This consumer preference was also reflected in planned behavior, with 83% of consumers planning to increase their plant-based food consumption in the coming year, creating market opportunities for companies that expand their plant-based offerings. Consumer knowledge drives these preferences, with 91% aware that plant-based foods such as vegetables, grains, beans, tofu, plant-based meat, soy products, and similar are healthier and more sustainable than animal proteins.

“These new survey findings underscore how important it is for food companies to prioritize sustainability and health in their food offerings,” said Marielle Lagulay, sustainability program manager at Lever Foundation, an NGO that supports companies in the Philippines and across Asia on sustainable food sourcing. “As consumer awareness and demand for improvements like increased plant-based options continue to rise, businesses can seize the opportunity to enhance their brand reputation by aligning their food policies with consumers’ expectations.”

Research shows that plant-based proteins generate up to 90% lower greenhouse gas emissions, require up to 90% less land and water use, and generate approximately 50% less food waste than animal proteins, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Studies have also linked plant-based eating to significant health benefits, including lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as well as lower rates of obesity, highlighting the substantial environmental and health benefits of shifting towards plant-based foods.

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Philippines leads Asia’s cage-free egg shift with nearly 80% of chain restaurant locations set to go cage-free

85% of Filipino consumers want restaurants, hotels, and retailers to offer more plant-based foods: survey