Most large food businesses have met their commitment to source cage-free eggs by 2024, although some are still lagging behind.
A new report by the Open Wing Alliance found that 92% of cage-free commitments with deadlines of 2024 or earlier had been fully fulfilled as of July 2025.
It also assessed that 82% of global companies with global cage-free commitments are making good progress towards achieving their targets.
The Open Wing Alliance is a global coalition of 84 animal protection organisations founded by The Humane League. Each year it assesses which companies are leading the way in cage-free progress reporting, and which companies are lagging behind their competitors.
Companies are considered ‘early birds’ if they are reporting meaningful cage-free progress by fulfilling their commitments, reporting progress at regional levels, and/or demonstrating clear steps to fulfil their commitments in emerging markets.
‘Bad eggs’, by contrast, are seen as not taking meaningful steps to fulfil their cage-free commitments and/or not reporting comprehensively.
The foodservice and food manufacturing sectors currently have the highest proportion of ‘early birds’, while the restaurant and hospitality (hotels) sectors have the greatest share of ‘bad eggs’.
“The cage-free movement continues to gain global momentum, yet stark contrasts remain between companies honouring their commitments and those still stalling,” said Hannah Surowinski, senior associate director of global corporate relations at The Humane League.
“Transparency is no longer optional—it’s the foundation of consumer trust. As more companies remove cages from their global egg supply chains, the few that don’t are becoming the outliers and risking serious reputational damage.”
Although caged systems remain more prevalent in emerging markets, the report notes how cage-free supply chains are rapidly growing worldwide, notably in Brazil, China, and Malaysia, as top egg producers invest in new cage-free farms.
The Alliance says caged systems are “devastating for hens’ physical and psychological health, restricting them from engaging in natural behaviours and spreading their wings”. It adds that “transitioning to a cage-free egg supply is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to improve the lives of factory-farmed animals, with benefits that extend to animals, consumers, and companies alike”.
