The Open Wing Alliance (OWA), a global coalition of 95 animal protection organizations in 75 countries across six continents, today released a new report revealing that 89% of all corporate cage-free commitments with deadlines of 2023 or earlier have been fulfilled. Nearly 2,600 commitments have been made by food corporations around the world to remove cages from their egg supply chains. Of these, 1,199 food companies, including restaurants, retailers, and manufacturers, successfully completed their transition to cage-free facilities.
This new data shows groundbreaking momentum within the global egg industry, driven by growing consumer pressure, farm animal legislation, and corporate commitments secured by negotiations and campaigns by the OWA. Eleven U.S. states have passed laws to ban the production and/or sale of eggs raised from hens in cages, and the European Parliament has voted to support a ban on cages. Numerous countries have addressed the cruelty of cages by banning them entirely, such as Austria, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, and many other countries have enacted laws that will come into force in the coming years.
“With nearly every food company around the world pledging to remove cruel cages from their egg supply chains, it’s clear that cage-free is the expectation—not the exception,” says Carley Betts, Director of The Open Wing Alliance. “As consumer awareness grows around the world, policies and laws are also advancing to protect farm animals raised for food. All signs point to a cage-free future. We’re confident that a global transition is achievable, especially as many of our corporate partners have already achieved their goals—some years ahead of their deadlines. We urge companies to continue collaborating to eradicate the suffering of chickens worldwide.”
Many cage-free commitments made by over 1,000 food companies come due next year, as almost 40% of all policies were made with a 2025 deadline. Therefore, this will be a critical year for stakeholders to hold companies accountable for their promises. Companies are encouraged to maintain transparency by reporting global and regional percentages and/or incremental benchmarks.
