Ahold Delhaize, the Dutch-Belgian multinational operating Giant, Food Lion, Stop & Shop, and Hannaford in the United States, announced March 3 a concrete timeline to eliminate battery cages from its egg supply chain by 2032, affecting seven million hens annually.
The commitment establishes interim milestones for gradual reductions in caged egg product offerings: 75 percent cage-free by 2026, 85 percent by 2028, and 90 percent by 2030, before reaching 100 percent in 2032. The company also agreed to improved in-store signage to identify cage-free products for consumer awareness.
The policy follows sustained pressure from corporate watchdogs, animal welfare organizations, including the International Council for Animal Welfare and The Humane League, many of which conducted hundreds of protests, released nearly a dozen undercover investigations documenting conditions in Ahold Delhaize’s supply chain, and generated tens of thousands of digital actions targeting the company and its grocery banners. The company also faced scrutiny from its own employees for the delay.
Broken promises and delayed commitments
Ahold Delhaize initially pledged in 2016 to transition private-label eggs to cage-free by 2022, then committed in 2019 to source 100 percent cage-free eggs across all brands by 2025. The company failed to meet either deadline, prompting escalated advocacy campaigns.
The seven-year delay between the original 2025 commitment and the new 2032 target meant hens endured an additional 2,500 days in battery cage confinement, according to sources. Battery cages prevent hens from spreading wings, dust-bathing, walking naturally, or nesting—behaviors considered essential to bird welfare.
While Ahold Delhaize sells exclusively cage-free eggs in the Netherlands due to national cage bans, the company continued sourcing caged eggs for US operations despite longstanding corporate commitments.
“This commitment is a huge step forward for Ahold Delhaize and corporate accountability for animal welfare,” said Chrystine Liptrot, CEO of the International Council for Animal Welfare. “ICAW is calling on all major retailers, including Walmart, Kroger, and Albertsons to enact public plans to finally fulfill their cage-free commitments.”
New accountability benchmark
The commitment includes provisions for tracking progress against semi-annual benchmarks and publishing annual updates on cage-free transition implementation. This transparency component distinguishes the agreement from typical corporate pledges, which often lack public reporting requirements.
Dan Shannon, CEO of The Humane League, emphasized the importance of accountability mechanisms. “Public commitments matter, and it’s encouraging to see companies like Ahold Delhaize taking meaningful steps to meet them. Consumers are paying attention, and accountability drives real progress.”
Ahold Delhaize operates approximately 2,000 stores across its US grocery banners, with Food Lion representing nearly half the company’s American footprint. The Giant Company, Giant Food, Stop & Shop, and Hannaford comprise the remainder of the portfolio.
Major US grocers including Kroger, Walmart, Albertsons, and Target face pressure to establish comparable timelines with public accountability measures. Many food retailers made cage-free commitments between 2015 and 2017 targeting 2025 or 2026 implementation but have not published concrete transition plans.
The cage-free egg movement gained momentum in the mid-2010s as major food service companies, restaurants, and grocery chains announced sourcing policies in response to consumer demand and advocacy campaigns. However, implementation has lagged initial timelines across much of the industry, prompting renewed pressure.
