Food & Beverage

Japanese fast casual commits to cage-free eggs

In Japan, each Toridoll restaurant uses over 1,000 eggs per day, which means it will source nearly 1.2 million cage-free eggs by year's end and 11.68 million cage-free eggs by the end of 2023, improving the lives of 40,000 egg-laying hens. iStock

September 15, 2022

Japan-based Toridoll Holdings Corp. is pledging to source only cage-free eggs and egg products for all its restaurants, including Marugame Udon, Wok to Walk, Shoryu Ramen, Pokeworks, Konas Coffee, Boat Noodle and Monster Curry. The commitment follows a collaboration between Toridoll and the Open Wing Alliance, a global coalition of over 90 animal protection organizations across 63 countries.

In Japan, each Toridoll restaurant uses over 1,000 eggs per day, which means it will source nearly 1.2 million cage-free eggs by year's end and 11.68 million cage-free eggs by the end of 2023, improving the lives of 40,000 egg-laying hens in the space of 16 months, according to Hannah Surowinski, global corporate relations coordinator of Open Wing Alliance.

"Due to the magnitude of Toridoll's influence, this commitment to source cage-free eggs will dramatically change the face of animal agriculture on a global scale," she said in a company press release. "This proves beyond doubt that the world is rapidly moving away from cruel cages."

As consumer demand for cage-free eggs continues to grow, global companies like Toridoll have been abandoning cages around the world, including KFC, Burger King, Taco Bell, Krispy Kreme, Unilever, Nestle, Aldi, InterContinental Hotels, Sodexo, Kraft Heinz, Compass Group, Shake Shack, Famous Brands, Costa Coffee and Barilla.

Toridoll owns over 1,700 restaurants in 27 countries.