Alsea operates Burger King, Domino’s, Starbucks, VIPs, Chili’s, California Pizza Kitchen, PF Chang’s, El Porton, Foster’s Hollywood, Pei Wei, Italianni’s and Cheesecake Factory.

This policy applies to the three thousand units that Alsea operates in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Brazil and Spain.

The chain made the decision after working with animal welfare organisation Humane Society International.

Alfonso Tinoco, director of Responsible Consumption at Alsea, stated: “Today’s announcement proves that Alsea is committed to farm animal welfare, which is increasingly important to our customers. We are convinced that collaboration with different key players will make a difference to improve animal wellness."

Most egg-laying hens in Mexico are housed in battery cages, but a growing number of companies in Mexico have pledged to switch to a cage-free supply chain, including Grupo Toks, Sodexo, Eurest, Subway, Grupo Bimbo, and Unilever, joining more than 200 companies that have done so already in the United States.