Compassion in World Farming has urged food and drink companies to speed up the realisation of cage-free egg commitments as it launched its first European EggTrack Report.
It warned companies against waiting until 2024 to act on commitments to eradicate caged eggs from their supply chains by 2025, saying companies must start planning production system changes now to ensure smooth transition to models “fit for the future”.
The NGO also called on companies to clarify commitments, and extend pledges beyond shell eggs to eradicate caged “hidden” ingredient eggs, after finding less than half (43%) of companies were reporting against commitments for all areas of their supply chains.
The EggTrack Report, released yesterday (18 September), found 75% of Europe’s biggest food and drink businesses are tracking progress on commitments to use only cage-free eggs by 2025, including six of the eight largest retailers in the UK.
Asda and Aldi did not publicly disclose their figures, said CIWF, though Sainsbury’s, Co-op and Waitrose were already 100% cage-free for both shell eggs and ingredients, as was Marks & Spencer. Of the remainder, Morrisons had committed to eradicating caged eggs ahead of Tesco and Lidl, with a pledge to go cage-free for its shell eggs by 2022 and ingredients by 2025.
Suppliers were also investigated as part of the report, which found pasta specialist Barilla and confectionery giants Mars and Ferrero ahead of the curve with 100% of eggs used in their products sourced from cage-free hens.
Meanwhile, the likes of Unilever, Nestlé and Mondelez trailed with 61%, 40% and 15% of eggs in their supply chains coming from cage-free sources respectively.
Noble Foods was the only producer featured in the report, having made commitments to end caged production earlier this year after coming under pressure from animal welfare NGO the Humane League. The producer’s most recent figures show 63% of its production is cage-free, while its Gü pudding brand uses only cage-free hens.
“The incredible wave of cage-free egg commitments that we have seen from leading food businesses around the world over the past couple of years has made this an amazing time to be part of the animal welfare movement,” said CEO of CIWF Philip Lymbery.
Of all the companies surveyed, just a quarter of those with commitments to eliminate caged eggs by 2025 had reported on their progress, while those with targets in the nearer future were more likely to track their figures, it said.
But the NGO stressed the need for clarity, with many companies unclear on the scope of their commitments. CIWF urged businesses to expand cage-free pledges into all areas of supply chains, including product and ingredient eggs.
‘There is no excuse for companies without a cage-free policy in the EU not to have one. The cage is outdated and in some countries such as Switzerland and Luxembourg, it is outlawed. Elsewhere, without such government-led legislation, the food industry must work together to achieve the same end goal,’ said CIWF in a statement.
No comments yet