Cage-free egg sourcing is now standard for most global companies, report finds

The Open Wing Alliance’s 2026 Fair and Fowl report says most global companies with cage-free egg commitments have either completed the shift or made meaningful progress, leaving a smaller group of holdouts under pressure. The findings highlight both a broader industry norm and a growing transparency gap as some companies miss deadlines or stop reporting publicly.

Why it matters: - The cage-free transition has moved from a niche promise to a mainstream corporate expectation across global food and hospitality supply chains. - The report says 118 of 171 global companies evaluated have either fulfilled their cage-free commitments or are making positive progress. - More than 2,800 companies worldwide have pledged to eliminate cages from their egg supply chains. - Companies that miss deadlines or stop reporting face growing pressure as peers complete the transition.

What happened: - The Open Wing Alliance released the Fair and Fowl 2026 Cage-Free Egg Report on Sept. 29, 2026. - The annual report evaluates companies with global cage-free egg commitments across hospitality, manufacturing, restaurant, foodservice and retail. - The report follows 2025, which marked the largest deadline year for corporate cage-free commitments in the global food industry. - The report says many of the world’s largest food companies have shown the transition is achievable across complex global operations.

The details: - The report found several companies reached cage-free milestones ahead of schedule, including The Cheesecake Factory, Caffè Nero and Viking Cruises. - The Cheesecake Factory eliminated cages six years before its deadline. - Caffè Nero hit its goal ahead of its 2026 deadline. - Viking Cruises reached full global compliance within a year of announcing its commitment. - The report identifies a transparency gap, with some companies passing deadlines without publishing results, removing timelines from public websites or stopping reporting altogether. - 2026 sector leaders include Best Western Hotels & Resorts and Royal Caribbean Group in hospitality; Compass Group in foodservice; Ferrero among manufacturers; Pizza Express and Bloomin Brands in restaurants; and REWE Group in retail. - 2026 sector laggards include Norwegian Cruise Line and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in hospitality; LSG Group in foodservice; Unilever among manufacturers; Le Pain Quotidien in restaurants; and Aldi Süd in retail. - The report says companies that fell behind can still move forward by publishing transparent cage-free roadmaps, reporting progress publicly and using cage-free impact incentives where supply remains limited. - The report also says caged housing restricts movement and is associated with serious welfare problems, while cage-free systems allow hens to nest, perch and dust bathe.

Between the lines: - The report frames cage-free sourcing as a competitive baseline rather than a future goal, with compliant companies setting the pace for the rest of the market. - The transparency gap matters because public deadlines and progress reports are part of what makes corporate animal-welfare pledges credible. - The shrinking number of laggards suggests the remaining challenge is less about technical feasibility and more about execution, disclosure and accountability.

What's next: - The Open Wing Alliance says companies still behind have a clear path if they publish roadmaps and report progress openly. - The report urges continued adoption of tools such as cage-free impact incentives where supply is constrained. - The organization says the broader goal remains ending the abuse of chickens worldwide through company-level policy change.

The bottom line: - Cage-free egg sourcing is now the standard for most companies that made global commitments, and the remaining holdouts are increasingly isolated.