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Compassion’s Global EggTrack shows the progress companies are making towards their cage-free egg commitments across different regions (Global, US, Europe and Asia-Pacific).

EggTrack celebrates those commitments and encourages transparency in the market by encouraging companies to report year-on-year progress on their transition to cage-free eggs.

The online tracker and accompanying report continue to measure and encourage the transition to cage-free eggs, highlighting leaders in this space, motivating those who have fallen behind, and affirming the need for ongoing improvement and transparency in the market as companies work toward their common goal to be 100% cage free.

2022 Global EggTrack

Compassion's sixth annual EggTrack report shows that 175 (75.4%) of the 232 tracked companies are reporting progress against their cage-free commitments - an increase from 71% in 2021. Overall companies are reporting a 79.1% transition to cage-free.

More companies, including Pizza Express, Yum! Brands and Bloomin’ Brands, made new global cage-free commitments this past year, and of the companies that reported global progress, their cage-free sourcing increased from 55.2% in 2021 to 63.1% in 2022.   

Of the 232 companies included in EggTrack, 103 operate globally, 52 operate only in North America or the US, 76 operate in Europe (including the UK), and for the first time, EggTrack has a dedicated section for the Asia-Pacific region which includes 2 companies that operate there exclusively.      

The overall number of companies reporting continues to increase, and progress disclosures are higher in quality and more comprehensive than ever before, with companies publishing regional breakdowns and egg category specifications.

Read more of this year's highlights below.

EggTrack

Find out the results of the latest EggTrack

Read the full report here
EggTrack

The companies

Review the company and sector progress in this year’s Global EggTrack

Check the progress here
The companies

EggTrack - 2021 highlights

EggTrack - 2021 highlights

Global highlights

  • 75.4% of the 232 companies tracked in 2022 have reported progress towards meeting their commitments
  • Overall companies are reporting a 79.1% transition to cage-free
  • 8 companies made new global cage-free commitments including Pizza Express, Yum! Brands, Bloomin’ Brands, Darden Restaurants, Focus Brands, Royal Caribbean International, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
  • Of the 58 companies with global commitments, 34 (43%) reported progress against these commitments.
  • One international company - Famous Brands - reported meeting its global cage-free commitment this past year.
  • 24 companies have clear statements against the use of combination systems within their supply chain

EggTrack - 2021 highlights

European highlights

  • Of the 128 companies with European commitments, 109 (85.2%) reported progress , representing an increase of 12 companies over last year. The average transition is 84.4%
  • 8 companies met their European-level commitments in 2022: Ahold Delhaize, Andros, Columbus Café, Coop Denmark Group, J D Wetherspoon plc, Markas, Pizza Express, and Lactalis.
  • The EU cage-free flock continues to grow, reaching 55% in 2022, up from 52% in 2021 (not including the UK).
  • 2022 has seen major companies such as EG Group (Asda) and Huevos Guillén beginning to report and Eurovo nearing completion of their Italian commitment.

EggTrack - 2021 highlights

US highlights

  • Of the 118 companies with U.S. or North American commitments, 79 (66.9%) reported progress, representing an increase of 8 companies over last year. The average transition is 73.4%
  • Three companies met their US/North American commitments in 2022: Raley's and Sprouts Farmers Market are 100% cage-free; Meijer is 100% cage-free for its Own Brands and maintains its 2025 commitment to all eggs.
  • The US cage-free flock continues to grow, reaching 34.8% in June 2022 - up from 28.6% in 2021, and 10.1% in 2016 (according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture).

EggTrack - 2021 highlights

Asia-Pacific highlights

  • Of the 18 companies with Asia-Pacific commitments, 8 (44.4%) reported progress
  • No companies reported meeting either regional or national commitments.
  • For those companies that reported Asia-Pacific progress, their supply chains in this region stand at an average of 67.4% cage-free.

About EggTrack

EggTrack measures food companies' reporting against their global, US, and European cage-free egg commitments to show the progress occurring across different regions and markets. In 2022, we expanded the tool to track cage-free progress in Asia-Pacific (APAC).

EggTrack highlights the progress companies are making across not only shell or whole egg, but also their egg product supply chains too, which are just as important but often forgotten when it comes to commitments and reporting. Future iterations of EggTrack will also include egg ingredients as a distinct reporting egg category.

By demonstrating the progress companies are making towards meeting their cage-free commitments, we hope to inspire further progress and give producers the confidence to invest in the best alternative systems which are not only fit for purpose, to give the hens a good quality of life, but fit for future too with a lifetime worth of investment.

All the companies highlighted in the report have made a commitment to sourcing only cage-free eggs by 2026, or sooner.

Companies are selected based on their size, egg footprint, market influence and commitment deadline and were asked to publicly disclose or update their cage-free percentage this year ahead of 31 July 2022.

Companies are designated as "Global" if their operations are not confined to a single region.

All information in EggTrack is based on companies’ publicly disclosed information, such as on the company's website, their animal welfare policy or  ESG/CSR report, or in a press release. 

Combination systems are high risk

Combination systems (also referred to as “convertible” or “hybrid” systems) are not a suitable alternative to true cage-free systems because they feature doors and partitions throughout each level of the structure. These doors can confine birds in cages, either routinely or permanently when shut. Even when the doors are open, these systems compromise hen welfare due to the high stocking densities and difficulties they pose for the birds trying to move around the system.

Limited access systems are also a concern, with doors located only on the bottom of the structure they limit movement in and out of the system and those doors can also be closed to become caged production. Their design also leads to overcrowding, especially when hens try to access the littered floor simultaneously or move towards perches and nest boxes at the top of the system.

Both limited access and combination systems limit natural behaviours such as dustbathing, scratching, and pecking, and can lead to behaviours that exhibit stress and frustration.

To safeguard the authenticity of any cage-free commitments, Compassion asks companies to publish updated language in their cage-free commitment specifying that they will not allow combination or limited access systems in their supply chains.

Companies must do their due diligence to ensure these systems are not used and instead invest in well-designed, spacious aviary systems that meaningfully improve the lives of laying hens.

Given that laying hens experience the same physical, behavioural, and psychological distress of being caged wherever they are reared, we urge all companies - especially those with global footprints - to commit to cage-free eggs throughout their entire global supply.

We encourage all companies to support a cage-free future by:

  • making cage-free the baseline across all your egg categories and publicising this commitment
  • clarifying the scope of your cage-free commitment (i.e. to include shell, product and ingredient eggs), and multinationals should extend regional commitments across their entire global supply chains
  • investing in the right system that is fit for purpose and future-proofed, by providing your suppliers with specific system design requirements (i.e. no combination or limited access systems).
  • taking the consumer on the journey with you - when your customers understand what cage-free really means for laying hen welfare, they are much more likely to choose higher welfare products on shelf. Marketing and promotion are opportunities and a the key to success!

Compassion offers help, advice and support for all companies making the transition to cage-free production. Find out more here

Laying hens

Laying hens

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Converting to cage-free eggs

Many of the world’s most influential food companies have made commitments to move to a cage free egg supply by 2025 or sooner. Check out our latest Global EggTrack Report to see which companies are progressing towards their global, regional or national cage-free commitments.

In order for companies to fulfil their pledges and meet the growing demand for cage free eggs, they need to invest in the right systems, get contracts in place with their suppliers and pace their transition.

Invest in the best

Egg producers need to ensure that they invest in the best systems, so the birds not only have good health and physical condition, but good mental wellbeing and are able to express their repertoire of natural behaviours.

Companies need to work with their suppliers and invest in production systems that are fit for purpose to ensure that the animals experience a good quality of life and are fit for the future too by meeting consumer expectation of what is an acceptable cage-free system. 

Watch the video to find out more...

Future-proofing investment is critical to commercial sustainability and involves preparing for upcoming issues, such as the need to operate without beak trimming and maintaining good feather coverage, and the need to improve keel bone condition.

The cage-free market is well established in Europe, where over 50% of hens are currently reared in cage-free systems. In the US it is rapidly expanding and there are promising signs of emerging cage-free markets in other regions of the world.

However, over 60% of the world’s eggs are still produced in industrialised systems, most using battery cages, so any global company that has made a cage-free commitment in one region of their supply chain must address this issue in other regions too, especially in regions where cage-free markets are still a small proportion of overall production.

Key considerations

Read more about how to design your cage-free housing and how to develop a successful cage-free supply chain below.
Good Egg Award

Good Egg Award

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Since 2007, the Good Egg Award has recognised companies that use or have committed (within five years) to use cage-free eggs or egg products.

To date more than 105 million laying hens are set to benefit each year from our award winners’ policies.

It takes more than 6.5 billion laying hens to produce the eggs required for the global egg market, with over 60% of hens kept in industrialised caged systems.

Minimum conditions for the protection of laying hens are set out in the EU Directive (Council Directive 1999/74/EC), which has banned the use of the barren battery cage since 1 January 2012. 

In the EU, there are over 360 million laying hens kept for egg production each year, and around 38 million in the UK. Over 50% are housed in cages, the majority of which are ‘enriched’ cages, which although legal in the EU, are still confinement systems.

In the USA, nearly all laying hens are confined in barren battery cages.

Hens start laying regularly at around 18-20 weeks of age and commercially they lay for just over a year before being sent for slaughter. Most of their lives are therefore spent in confinement.
Laying Hens

Laying Hens

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This section contains a welfare potential matrix of the different production systems used for laying hens, as well as a summary of the key welfare issues of these production systems.

For producers converting to cage-free systems, there is a practical guide on the key features of a higher welfare system for laying hens.

You can also read about the welfare of laying hens in alternative systems (summary or full information sheet) and get informed about specific welfare issues such as feather coverage and beak trimming (summary or full information sheet), and how to assess welfare on farm.

Or find out how Compassion's welfare criteria for laying hens compare with other welfare schemes here.

There is also information available about egg production in the EU and the consumer perception of eggs.

 
Globe

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