Cage-free egg production proliferates as food corporations address animal welfare concerns

12 May 2023 --- Global food companies are transitioning to cage-free eggs at unprecedented rates, according to the latest data released by the Open Wing Alliance (OWA) in its Cage-Free Fulfillment Report. Notably, 89% of the companies involved have fulfilled the committed deadlines of 2022.

Almost 2,500 commitments have been made by food corporations worldwide to remove cruel cages from their egg supply chains, and 1,157 of these companies have successfully transitioned their supply chains to cage-free.The OWA’s report demonstrates that cage-free eggs are becoming commonplace in the global egg industry, due to the persistent efforts of the 98 animal protection organizations in 70 countries comprising the OWA.

Swift response to consumer demand
Companies worldwide are responding to consumer demand and establishing themselves as higher welfare brands by rapidly transitioning to cage-free eggs, says Hannah Surowinski, global corporate relations manager at the Open Wing Alliance. 

“Switching to cage-free systems is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to reduce the suffering of egg-laying hens.”

Abby Sarfas, global corporate projects coordinator, adds: “The swift transitions to cage-free eggs not only increase customer loyalty, but they also set powerful examples for other companies with upcoming cage-free commitment deadlines to follow.”

A complete transition to cage-free supply has been seen across industry sectors, including 509 restaurants, 269 manufacturers, 174 retailers and 118 foodservice and caterers. 

Only 4% of companies that pledged to be cage-free by 2022 are not yet fully cage-free, though they publicly report on their progress, while only 7% still need to register their transition status publicly.

Ramping up cage-free systems
Over 6 billion hens exist in tiny, cramped cages that prevent them from stretching their wings, the OWA reports. 

Caged systems promote fear, poor bone health, reproductive disease and stress in egg-laying hens. The chicken farming space is currently facing various changes, such as new gene editing techniques being developed to mitigate the killing of day-old male chicks, global egg stocks cracking under the pressure of avian flu and producers facing soaring price costs from the invasion of Ukraine.

The European Food Safety Authority recently published urgent recommendations to improve the welfare of farmed broiler chickens and laying hens. The assessments call for widespread improvements for farmed chickens, notably discontinuing cage use and mutilation while providing improved environments. 

Last week, Brinker International won praise for its commitment to source only cage-free eggs for all locations globally by 2028. Brinker owns, operates or franchises more than 1,600 casual dining restaurants in 29 countries, including China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea and Taiwan.

Meanwhile, soft serve ice cream and QSR giant Dairy Queen also won praise for its pledge to source only cage-free eggs and egg ingredients for all stores globally by 2025. 

The company has over 6,800 locations across 20 countries, including over 1,100 stores in China, 500 in Thailand, 100 in Mexico and nearly 100 in the Philippines, with additional locations spanning Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

Edited by Elizabeth Green