Dive Brief:
- General Mills announced an official timeline for its full transition to using cage-free eggs, which it plans to use exclusively by 2025.
- The company initially made the cage-free eggs announcement in July but officially updated its animal welfare policy this week.
- "General Mills is further demonstrating that confining hens in cages has no place within our food system. We applaud the company for its great work," Josh Balk, senior food policy director for the Humane Society of the United States, told Reuters.
Dive Insight:
In July, General Mills said it would need to establish a "reasonable timeline" based on availability from suppliers following the bird flu, which has since caused a tightening of the egg supply that sent prices soaring. This is particularly true for products like breaker eggs, a major component for egg suppliers and major food companies like General Mills.
"The move comes at a time when the food industry is under pressure from groups including the Humane Society of the United States, Mercy for Animals and World Animal Protection, which have successfully lobbied many companies to adopt animal welfare practices," Reuters reported.
In October, Kellogg announced that it too would source 100% cage-free eggs and eliminate gestation stalls in its pork supply chain by the end of 2025.