Kroger Commits to a 100 Percent Cage-Free Future for Egg Supply

Kroger has announced it will ensure 100 percent of the eggs it sells nationwide come from cage-free chickens by 2025, representing a major moment in a decades-long quest to end the cruel practice of confining hens in cages so tightly, they can’t even spread their wings. 

Kroger operates more than 3,400 supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide under two dozen local banner names, including Kroger, Harris Teeter, Ralphs, City Market, and Dillons.

“With the nation’s second largest grocery chain pinpointing a time in the near future when all its eggs will be cage-free, the days of America’s egg industry locking hens away in cages are officially numbered,” says Josh Balk, senior director of food policy for The Humane Society of the United States. “This is a real watershed moment.”

In recent months, the movement to free hens from cages has reached its tipping point. This week alone, Kroger competitors Albertson’s—the country’s second-largest grocery chain—and Delhaize—another major grocery chain that operates the Hannaford and Food Lion chains—also announced 100 percent cage-free policies, as have dozens of other major food companies.