The China Chain Store and Franchise Association (CCSFA) recognized by the State as the official representative of the retail industry has issued a cage-free standard for table eggs.  The CCFA established in 1997 represents close to 500,000 chain stores and includes multinationals including Walmart, Carrefour, Starbucks and Burger King in addition to domestic brands.

The cage-free standard now allows egg producers, food companies, retailers, restaurants and hotels to use a cage-free mark on packaging and in advertising claims. This is subject to auditing of production facilities and equipment to confirm compliance with the CCFA standard. It is estimated that seven of the twenty largest egg producers offer cage-free eggs or are installing facilities to comply with the CCFA standard.

A November 29th report circulated by the Lever Foundation, an animal-welfare advocacy organization notes that 1.8 billion eggs will be produced under the cage-free standard in 2021.  To place the statement in perspective this claimed production volume corresponds to a complement of 6.3 million hens or 0.5 percent of the estimated population of 1.4 billion hens producing table eggs in China.