America’s greatest meals firms promised they’d solely promote cage-free eggs by now. What occurred?

[ad_1] Practically half of the eggs bought within the US as we speak come from cage-free farms. That’s an astounding flip, contemplating that within the early 2000s, just some % did.

However in accordance with pledges made by most of the nation’s largest meals firms — from McDonald’s to IHOP to Starbucks — many of the 94 billion eggs bought every year in America have been alleged to be cage-free by now. What occurred?

<img alt="A chart showing how the share of US eggs that come from cage-free farms has steadily risen from 10 percent in 2012 to 47.7 percent in early 2026. " data-chromatic="ignore" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" class="mvmjsc0" style="position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='/%3E%3C/svg%3E")" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 100vw, (max-width: 1023px) 50vw, 700px" srcset="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/VkYVw-almost-half-of-the-us-egg-supply-is-now-cage-free-sparing-146-million-hens-from-cage-confinement-.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=256 256w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/VkYVw-almost-half-of-the-us-egg-supply-is-now-cage-free-sparing-146-million-hens-from-cage-confinement-.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=376 376w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/VkYVw-almost-half-of-the-us-egg-supply-is-now-cage-free-sparing-146-million-hens-from-cage-confinement-.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=384 384w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/VkYVw-almost-half-of-the-us-egg-supply-is-now-cage-free-sparing-146-million-hens-from-cage-confinement-.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=415 415w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/VkYVw-almost-half-of-the-us-egg-supply-is-now-cage-free-sparing-146-million-hens-from-cage-confinement-.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=480 480w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/VkYVw-almost-half-of-the-us-egg-supply-is-now-cage-free-sparing-146-million-hens-from-cage-confinement-.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=540 540w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/VkYVw-almost-half-of-the-us-egg-supply-is-now-cage-free-sparing-146-million-hens-from-cage-confinement-.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=640 640w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/VkYVw-almost-half-of-the-us-egg-supply-is-now-cage-free-sparing-146-million-hens-from-cage-confinement-.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=750 750w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/VkYVw-almost-half-of-the-us-egg-supply-is-now-cage-free-sparing-146-million-hens-from-cage-confinement-.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=828 828w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/VkYVw-almost-half-of-the-us-egg-supply-is-now-cage-free-sparing-146-million-hens-from-cage-confinement-.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=1080 1080w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/VkYVw-almost-half-of-the-us-egg-supply-is-now-cage-free-sparing-146-million-hens-from-cage-confinement-.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=1200 1200w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/VkYVw-almost-half-of-the-us-egg-supply-is-now-cage-free-sparing-146-million-hens-from-cage-confinement-.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=1440 1440w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/VkYVw-almost-half-of-the-us-egg-supply-is-now-cage-free-sparing-146-million-hens-from-cage-confinement-.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=1920 1920w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/VkYVw-almost-half-of-the-us-egg-supply-is-now-cage-free-sparing-146-million-hens-from-cage-confinement-.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2048 2048w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/VkYVw-almost-half-of-the-us-egg-supply-is-now-cage-free-sparing-146-million-hens-from-cage-confinement-.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400 2400w" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/VkYVw-almost-half-of-the-us-egg-supply-is-now-cage-free-sparing-146-million-hens-from-cage-confinement-.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400"/> To make certain, there’s been bird flu , spikes in egg prices , and broader shifts in shopper priorities. However most critically, one group of key gamers in America’s meals system largely haven’t made good on their guarantees to go cage-free: grocery shops.

More than half of US eggs are bought in supermarkets, so if the US egg trade is to get wherever near ending the confinement of laying hens in cages, it should have the backing of the nation’s grocery chains. Which is why it’s huge information that this week, one of many nation’s largest grocery firms recommitted to its cage-free purpose.

The information could appear small — one grocery firm altering one in all its 1000's of merchandise. Nevertheless it’s a major animal welfare success story in that it's going to cut back the struggling of hundreds of thousands of chickens. And it demonstrates the ability of small however concentrated advocacy work even within the face of large, multinational firms, giving animal welfare activists even additional leverage to get different meals giants to maintain their very own cage-free guarantees.

Grocery shops are why we don’t have much more cage-free eggs

During the last 12 months, most of the largest US animal welfare teams have directed their activism at a Dutch firm you’ve in all probability by no means heard of: Ahold Delhaize. However, particularly for those who dwell on the East Coast of the US, you’ve in all probability shopped at one in all their greater than 2,000 grocery shops. The European firm owns Meals Lion, Cease & Store, Big, Hannaford, and Martin’s.

A decade in the past, the grocery big — the fourth-largest within the US — had promised that its egg provide could be cage-free by the tip of 2025. A whole bunch of different meals firms had made the same dedication after stress from animal activists who urged them to banish cages from their egg provide chains.

It was a David-and-Goliath situation — nonprofits with budgets within the hundreds of thousands going up towards meals companies value billions.

On the time, the overwhelming majority of America’s 300 million or so egg-laying hens have been perpetually confined in cages, that are so small the birds can hardly transfer round or flap their wings for his or her total lives. Animal welfare specialists take into account cage confinement in egg farming to be a particularly cruel follow.

<img alt="" data-chromatic="ignore" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" class="mvmjsc0" style="position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='/%3E%3C/svg%3E")" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 100vw, (max-width: 1023px) 50vw, 700px" srcset="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-516657863.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.093984962406012%2C0%2C99.812030075188%2C100&w=256 256w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-516657863.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.093984962406012%2C0%2C99.812030075188%2C100&w=376 376w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-516657863.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.093984962406012%2C0%2C99.812030075188%2C100&w=384 384w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-516657863.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.093984962406012%2C0%2C99.812030075188%2C100&w=415 415w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-516657863.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.093984962406012%2C0%2C99.812030075188%2C100&w=480 480w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-516657863.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.093984962406012%2C0%2C99.812030075188%2C100&w=540 540w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-516657863.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.093984962406012%2C0%2C99.812030075188%2C100&w=640 640w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-516657863.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.093984962406012%2C0%2C99.812030075188%2C100&w=750 750w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-516657863.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.093984962406012%2C0%2C99.812030075188%2C100&w=828 828w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-516657863.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.093984962406012%2C0%2C99.812030075188%2C100&w=1080 1080w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-516657863.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.093984962406012%2C0%2C99.812030075188%2C100&w=1200 1200w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-516657863.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.093984962406012%2C0%2C99.812030075188%2C100&w=1440 1440w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-516657863.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.093984962406012%2C0%2C99.812030075188%2C100&w=1920 1920w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-516657863.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.093984962406012%2C0%2C99.812030075188%2C100&w=2048 2048w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-516657863.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.093984962406012%2C0%2C99.812030075188%2C100&w=2400 2400w" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-516657863.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.093984962406012%2C0%2C99.812030075188%2C100&w=2400"/> Hens confined in battery cages, that are so small the birds can’t flap their wings or transfer about a lot. punghi/Getty Pictures/iStockphoto

<img alt="" data-chromatic="ignore" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" class="mvmjsc0" style="position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='/%3E%3C/svg%3E")" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 100vw, (max-width: 1023px) 50vw, 700px" srcset="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-1982292613.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.022871332418475%2C100%2C99.954257335163&w=256 256w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-1982292613.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.022871332418475%2C100%2C99.954257335163&w=376 376w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-1982292613.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.022871332418475%2C100%2C99.954257335163&w=384 384w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-1982292613.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.022871332418475%2C100%2C99.954257335163&w=415 415w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-1982292613.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.022871332418475%2C100%2C99.954257335163&w=480 480w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-1982292613.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.022871332418475%2C100%2C99.954257335163&w=540 540w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-1982292613.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.022871332418475%2C100%2C99.954257335163&w=640 640w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-1982292613.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.022871332418475%2C100%2C99.954257335163&w=750 750w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-1982292613.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.022871332418475%2C100%2C99.954257335163&w=828 828w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-1982292613.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.022871332418475%2C100%2C99.954257335163&w=1080 1080w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-1982292613.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.022871332418475%2C100%2C99.954257335163&w=1200 1200w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-1982292613.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.022871332418475%2C100%2C99.954257335163&w=1440 1440w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-1982292613.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.022871332418475%2C100%2C99.954257335163&w=1920 1920w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-1982292613.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.022871332418475%2C100%2C99.954257335163&w=2048 2048w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-1982292613.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.022871332418475%2C100%2C99.954257335163&w=2400 2400w" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/GettyImages-1982292613.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.022871332418475%2C100%2C99.954257335163&w=2400"/> Inside a big egg manufacturing facility farm. iStock/Getty Pictures Plus

However on the finish of 2024, with the cage-free deadline quick approaching, Ahold Delhaize pushed its deadline back seven years to 2032, citing provide points from the chook flu outbreak, lack of buyer demand, and excessive egg costs. Activists cried foul as a result of a few of its opponents — most notably Costco and Dealer Joe’s — had switched to promoting virtually completely cage-free eggs.

On prime of extending its deadline so lengthy, Ahold Delhaize additionally didn’t decide to sharing periodic updates on its progress. These shifts rankled animal welfare teams like the Accountability Board , which was based a couple of years in the past to execute on its title: maintain meals firms accountable to their animal welfare insurance policies.

So, over the past 12 months, the Accountability Board and different animal activists educated their deal with the corporate. Teams organized intense protests on the firm’s worldwide headquarters exterior Amsterdam and ran Tremendous Bowl adverts in New England the place its US shops are concentrated, amongst different techniques.

<img alt="" data-chromatic="ignore" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" class="mvmjsc0" style="position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='/%3E%3C/svg%3E")" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 100vw, (max-width: 1023px) 50vw, 700px" srcset="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-01-13-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-002-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=256 256w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-01-13-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-002-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=376 376w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-01-13-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-002-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=384 384w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-01-13-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-002-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=415 415w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-01-13-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-002-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=480 480w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-01-13-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-002-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=540 540w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-01-13-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-002-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=640 640w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-01-13-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-002-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=750 750w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-01-13-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-002-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=828 828w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-01-13-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-002-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=1080 1080w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-01-13-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-002-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=1200 1200w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-01-13-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-002-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=1440 1440w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-01-13-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-002-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=1920 1920w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-01-13-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-002-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=2048 2048w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-01-13-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-002-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=2400 2400w" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-01-13-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-002-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=2400"/> An activist with the nonprofit Animal Equality is dragged by police whereas protesting exterior Ahold Delhaize’s headquarters within the Netherlands. Animal Equality

<img alt="" data-chromatic="ignore" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" class="mvmjsc0" style="position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='/%3E%3C/svg%3E")" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 100vw, (max-width: 1023px) 50vw, 700px" srcset="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-11-22-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-004-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=256 256w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-11-22-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-004-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=376 376w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-11-22-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-004-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=384 384w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-11-22-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-004-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=415 415w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-11-22-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-004-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=480 480w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-11-22-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-004-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=540 540w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-11-22-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-004-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=640 640w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-11-22-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-004-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=750 750w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-11-22-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-004-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=828 828w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-11-22-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-004-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=1080 1080w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-11-22-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-004-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=1200 1200w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-11-22-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-004-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=1440 1440w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-11-22-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-004-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=1920 1920w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-11-22-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-004-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=2048 2048w, https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-11-22-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-004-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=2400 2400w" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/nl-2026-11-22-ahold-delhaize-civil-disobedience-004-4000x2667-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=2400"/> An activist with the nonprofit Animal Equality protests exterior Ahold Delhaize’s headquarters within the Netherlands. Animal Equality

Finally, it paid off. Whereas Ahold Delhaize is retaining its new 2032 deadline for promoting solely cage-free eggs in its shops, this week the corporate set two-year benchmarks to hit to succeed in its cage-free purpose on time and stated it’ll share its progress yearly, along with posting indicators within the egg aisles of its shops to highlight its cage-free cartons.

“Ahold Delhaize USA has reached an settlement following a constructive dialogue” with animal advocates, an organization spokesperson wrote in an e-mail to Vox. “We admire the partnership and collaboration as we shared extra element about our beforehand introduced plans that we purpose to realize as a part of our purpose to grow to be cage-free by 2032.”

The elevated transparency could appear insignificant on the floor, however to Josh Balk, CEO of the Accountability Board — who has negotiated with tons of of firms to enhance animal welfare — it’s a “evening and day” distinction. (Disclosure: From 2012 to 2017, I labored at Humane World for Animals, previously the Humane Society of the US, the place Balk additionally labored.)

As Balk instructed me: “It’s actually doing nothing [then], in comparison with now, that is the strongest coverage of any typical grocery retailer within the nation.”

How half of our eggs turned cage-free

The corporate’s coverage is one thing of a watershed second for the US animal welfare motion and the way forward for the egg trade. To know why, it’s useful to briefly hint how the US egg provide has shifted over the past 20 years.

The swift change from such little cage-free manufacturing to now accounting for practically half of the nation’s inventory in below 20 years was the results of two interlocking campaigns: persuading companies to modify to cage-free eggs, and getting a dozen states — one in all which I labored on — to move cage-free legal guidelines.

To make certain, cage-free doesn’t equate to cruelty-free; exposés of cage-free egg farms have additionally revealed merciless circumstances, but it surely represents a serious enchancment from perpetual cage confinement .

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It’s unclear now, although, how a lot additional this momentum will take the trigger. Practically the entire states which have handed cage-free legal guidelines have applied them, and few different states seem to be good prospects for brand new legal guidelines within the close to future. And most of the firms that didn’t meet their 2025 deadline don’t appear too motivated to observe via, with some even quietly removing their pledges from their web sites.

This is the reason the Ahold Delhaize push was seen as a must-win for animal welfare activists; it served as a form of take a look at case as as to whether the tried and true technique of pressuring companies to deal with animals much less cruelly might nonetheless work.

“The main motive why we’re at roughly 48 % cage-free, and never 80 % cage-free, is due to the grocery sector,” Balk stated. The opposite main egg-buyers, he stated — equivalent to quick meals chains and firms that function college cafeterias — have “moved in an excellent route.”

What it’ll take for America’s egg trade to be totally cage-free

Some grocery shops, like Costco, Dealer Joe’s, and BJ’s Wholesale, have principally fulfilled their cage-free pledges, whereas others have made average progress, like Sam’s Membership, Meijer, and Goal. Some are far behind their objectives, together with Kroger, Publix, and Walmart, or don't make their progress public, like ALDI, Wegmans, H-E-B, and Albertsons, which owns Safeway, Jewel Osco, VONS, and different grocery chains.

Once I reached out to those firms for particulars on progress towards their cage-free pledges, solely two responded.

A Goal spokesperson directed me to the corporate’s sustainability report, which didn’t reply any of my questions. A Meijer spokesperson instructed me the corporate’s egg provide is now majority cage-free however didn’t share a %, and defined the challenges they’ve confronted in reaching their purpose: shopper demand and “extremely publicized points within the poultry trade,” which I took to imply the chook flu, which has resulted within the deaths of tens of hundreds of thousands of hens lately, decreasing the US egg provide and leading to higher prices .

These explanations make sense to a point, however can even fall brief below scrutiny, particularly in mild of a few of their opponents reaching their 2025 deadlines.

For one, the pledges firms made to go cage-free weren’t essentially primarily based on shopper demand. Most shoppers oppose caging hens, however solely a small share name the firms they purchase meals from and demand extra humane insurance policies. Slightly, the cage-free guarantees have been primarily based extra on the social good of decreasing animal cruelty and pushed via by the advocacy teams.

Whereas the chook flu has constrained the US egg provide lately, throughout some durations it disproportionately hit cage farms and at different occasions, disproportionately hit cage-free farms, so theoretically, provide shouldn’t be an excessive amount of of a difficulty however extra of a short-term impediment.

On the affordability query, cage-free eggs value egg firms about 19 cents more per dozen — or 1.6 cents extra per egg — to provide in comparison with cage eggs, worth hikes that grocers and most shoppers would hardly really feel.

In opposition to the backdrop of America’s brutal animal factory farming system , which confines, mutilates , and topics some 10 billion animals to terribly merciless circumstances, incremental cage-free progress can really feel so inadequate. And it's.

However there’s additionally one other method to have a look at it. The final 20 years ought to present anybody agitating for social change some hope — that even a small motion, working on a tiny price range towards a large and politically highly effective trade — can transfer humanity and fellow animals in a greater route. We’ll see if it’s nonetheless transferring even additional in that route come 2032.

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