India’s first industry-led alliance on animal welfare in food supply chains, the Karuna Ethics Alliance (KEA), is bringing companies from food retail, banking and hospitality together to set practical standards. Its founding members include hotel group The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, which plans to move progressively to cage-free eggs across its owned hotels.
What the alliance is
KEA is a Section 8 not-for-profit company and an initiative of the India Karuna Collaborative. It works with businesses, financial institutions, researchers and technical experts to develop practical standards, strengthen implementation, promote credible assurance mechanisms and speed up the adoption of animal welfare practices across India’s food system.
Who is in it
KEA was launched on 22 September 2026 with a first group of 11 founding members. They include Tata Consumer Products, Reliance Retail, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, Sodexo India and The Leela. The members say they have come together to improve animal welfare while building more responsible and resilient food systems.
What members have committed to
Founding members have committed to work on five areas:
- developing practical animal welfare standards
- strengthening implementation across supply chains
- setting up credible assurance and certification mechanisms
- commissioning India-specific research
- creating a platform to share knowledge and good practices
Where hospitality comes in
The Leela’s membership brings the hotel sector into the alliance. The company plans to progressively transition to cage-free eggs across its owned hotels and to work with industry peers and experts on practical animal welfare solutions. The association aims to strengthen responsible sourcing practices across the hospitality sector. The Leela’s executives took part in the alliance’s launch.
Comments are closed