UK frozen foods retailer Iceland Foods has announced its commitment to end the sale of eggs from caged hens by 2025.
The company announced the move following ‘customer feedback and extensive consultations with the company’s egg suppliers, which have confirmed the feasibility of moving entirely to alternative barn and free range egg production methods within this timescale,’ the retailer said.
“Iceland has always believed in doing the right thing: our brand stands for high quality food that is produced both humanely and sustainably,” commented Iceland Joint Managing Director Nigel Broadhurst.
“In the 1980s we were the first UK supermarket to remove all artificial colours, flavours and non-essential preservatives from our own brand products. In the 1990s we led the way in banning mechanically recovered meat and GM ingredients. Today it is clear that our customers would prefer to buy eggs from non-caged hens, so long as we can deliver these without compromising the outstanding value they expect from us.
“Having consulted with our egg suppliers, I am confident that we can achieve this by 2025 – and if it proves feasible to complete the changeover sooner than that, we certainly will.”
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
