EggTrack

EggTrack measures food companies' progress, reporting against their global, European, USA and APAC cage-free egg commitments. It summarises progress by region and food company sector and allows for a year-on-year progress comparison across regions, sectors and individual company commitments.

EggTrack highlights the progress companies are making across not only shell or whole egg, but also their ingredient egg and egg product supply chains too, which are just as important but often forgotten when it comes to commitments and reporting.

By demonstrating the headway companies are making towards meeting their cage-free commitments, we hope to inspire further progress. It should also 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’s 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 2023.

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

With many types of systems available on the market, understanding what constitutes a true cage-free system is essential for making future-proof investments, ensuring a smooth market transition, and maximising the welfare of laying hens.

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.

Cages fail to provide an environment that allows for the expression of natural behaviours. 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 (i.e. to include shell eggs, egg product and ingredient eggs) and publicising this commitment
• ensuring your cage-free commitment covers ALL regions in which you operate
• 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.
• lobbying policy makers to help create a level playing field by introducing cage bans in animal farming.

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