The Open Wing Alliance (OWA) released new data revealing that 88% of all corporate cage-free commitments with deadlines of 2021 or earlier have been fulfilled. More than 2,300 commitments have been made by food corporations around the world to remove cruel battery cages from their egg supply chains. Of these commitments, 982 companies have successfully completed the transition of their supply chains to cage-free. Only a small minority of companies have failed to report publicly on their progress.
This new data shows groundbreaking momentum within the global egg industry—a result of ongoing negotiations by 80 animal protection organisations in 63 countries that make up the OWA. This builds on momentum in the US, where ten states have passed laws to ban cruel battery cages, and in the EU, where the European Parliament voted to support a ban of cages this time last year.
“Securing thousands of corporate animal welfare pledges is an important indicator of progress for farm animals, though we know that public commitments alone won’t lead to improved treatment of animals,” says Alexandria Beck, director of The Open Wing Alliance. “To actually save hens from a life confined in crowded, metal cages, we need to see companies making and reporting on progress towards their cage-free goals, facilitating the transition of their supply chains away from these cruel practices. Our data shows that the future is cage-free—with more than 11% of the global hen flock already free from cages. This new industry standard has been set in every major market worldwide.”
Key findings of the report include:
- More than 2,300 corporate cage-free welfare policies have been secured around the world—982 of which have fulfilment deadlines of 2021 or earlier.
- 88% of all corporate cage-free commitments with a 2021 deadline or earlier have been fulfilled.
- Companies who fulfilled their UK cage-free commitments in 2021 include Caffè Nero, Domino’s and Pizza Hut.
- Just 4% of companies who made the pledge are not yet fully cage-free though are publicly reporting on their progress, while only 8% are not yet publicly reporting on the status of their transition.
A complete transition to cage-free supply has been seen across industry sectors:
- 317 restaurants
- 212 manufacturers
- 131 retailers
- 92 foodservice and caterers
- 62 hospitality companies
- 39 producers
- 10 distributors
- 1 wholesaler
This groundbreaking new data lays the foundation for other companies across industries who have upcoming cage-free pledge deadlines to fulfil.
For more information about the Open Wing Alliance, visit here. Follow along with the cage-free movement on Twitter @GlobalCageFree.
