Key Food Clarifies Its Position On Cage-Free Eggs

Key Food Stores Co-Operative and its independent members has made a statement regarding its position on cage free eggs.

Key Food and its members do not support any type of animal abuse. "We hold our suppliers and manufacturers to standards that meet or exceed industry norms and do not condone mistreatment of animals in any way," said company officials in the statement. Currently, almost 30 percent of its egg sales are comprised of cage free eggs and each one of its locations sells cage free, free-range, and organic eggs, giving its customers a wide variety of choices. 

"We, like many other retailers, are actively looking to shift a larger volume of our egg sales to cage free eggs as the industry converts to more cage free farms over time. Despite our efforts and statements condemning animal cruelty of any kind, animal rights activists have waged a public campaign against Key Food and our stores," the statement said. "They have demanded that we release a statement promising to transition to 100 percent cage free eggs by 2025. Although our goal is to transition to 100 percent cage free eggs by that date, we want you, our customers, to know that while seeking to reach that goal, we strive to always provide affordable nutritious options to all of our customers, many of whom are in lower-income areas and rely on assistance programs. Currently, cage free eggs, which are double the price of regular eggs, are not covered by these programs."

"We believe it is possible that the industry as a whole will continue to transition to cage free production as demand continues to rise," officials added. "This hopefully will result in cage free eggs eventually becoming available at affordable prices for all consumers."