Eighty-eight percent of the global cage-free commitments that had a 2021 deadline or earlier have been met, according to data published in the most recent Cage-free Egg Fulfillment Report.
Over 2,300 cage-free pledges have been announced globally, with 1,112 of those having 2021 or earlier deadlines. Of the 1,112 companies, 982 (88%) have met their cage-free commitment, 39 (4%) are still working towards the goal and 91 (8%) are not reporting a status.
The report’s data is current as of April 2022 and shows that the rate at which companies are completing their cage-free housing pledges is increasing annually. In last year’s report, 85% of cage-free commitments with 2020 deadlines were fulfilled, indicating that the cage-free egg fulfillment rate has increased by 3% in the last year.
Additionally, when looking at which industries have fulfilled their 2021 cage-free pledges, restaurants reached 88% completion (394 in total), followed by manufacturing at 92% (231) and retailers at 90% (133).
The number of companies reporting fulfillment of their cage-free egg commitments has increased significantly over the last seven years. In 2015, approximately 250 companies reported completion. In 2021, that number rose to over 1,000.
Time is running out to convert
2025 is the established deadline for many of the remaining cage-free commitments, meaning there will likely be an increase in the number of cage-free commitments fulfilled over the next few years.
Additionally, in the next three years, the U.S. egg industry is expecting to have a greater percentage of cage-free housing due to upcoming state mandate deadlines. As of April 2022, only California and Massachusetts have implemented cage-free laws.
However, eight more U.S. states have committed to similar cage-free legislation, with most planning to have them in effect by 2025. Considering the number of customer cage-free pledges that have been made, other states have the potential to make the same cage-free commitments.
