UK retailer Morrisons has announced that it has ceased the sales of eggs from caged hens, two years ahead of its 2022 target.
This means all eggs sold by the retailer will be sourced from hens that are outdoors for at least eight hours a day, and live in nest boxes with wide perches and ample space.
'Cage-Free Commitment'
Director of food business at Compassion in World Farming, Dr Tracey Jones, commented, "Momentum on ending the use of cages for laying hens is growing and Morrisons is leading the way.
"Importantly, they also have a 2025 cage-free commitment on the eggs that go into processed and ingredient foods."
The retailer also claimed that it is a first for a major supermarket to switch to 100% free-range eggs, and slashed the price of a pack of six free-range eggs from 80p to 75p.
'Animal Welfare'
Robert Hofmann, Egg Buyer at Morrisons, said, “Improving animal welfare is very important to customers and it’s very important to us. We source our eggs directly from farms and have worked hard to help them all move to free-range."
The retailer doubled the number of free-range farmers supplying its egg packing business to achieve this target.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
