The International Egg Commission (IEC) is bringing together experts with an interest in sustainable agricultural food production, to form a new Environmental Sustainability Expert Group. Supporting the Global Initiative for Sustainable Eggs (GISE), the group will champion continuous development and improvement of sustainable practices throughout the egg value chain.
Speaking on the launch of the initiative, IEC Chairman, Suresh Chitturi, said: “The egg industry has made tremendous gains to its environmental sustainability over the past 50 years, and holds the position as the most sustainable form of animal protein thanks to improved on-farm efficiencies.
“Continuous improvement is at the heart of our industry, and this initiative will support the development of a cohesive, strategic approach to identify key areas of advancement as we strive to make further progress.”
Multi-sector stakeholder engagement and collaboration will be central to the group’s success and the IEC has been working with its Value Chain Partner for Feed Additives and Sustainability, DSM Animal Nutrition and Health, to identify potential group members.
“Our aim is to connect a small task force of leaders in the environmental and sustainability fields to support our industry in achieving its commitments to the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” explains Mr Chitturi.
“We are bringing together independent environmental specialists who can share their expertise on environmentally-sound food production, in addition to professional sustainability experts with egg specific knowledge, to support us in the sharing of best practice and information to improve the environmental sustainability of global egg businesses, ” he adds.
“As suppliers of high-quality natural protein, the egg industry has worked hard to improve its environmental sustainability, so consumers can be confident in their purchasing decisions. The formation of this expert group will support us to lead the way in global animal protein production, as we strive to continue to deliver an affordable, safe, sustainable and accessible form of nutrition for the planet’s growing population,” concludes Mr Chitturi.
