Parent company of Hannaford, Food Lion, and Stop & Shop adopts critical two-year benchmarks to provide a transparent, accountable path toward 100% cage-free eggs
LOS ANGELES — Following a year of public advocacy from Mercy For Animals and multiple organizations, Ahold Delhaize, the largest grocery retail group on the East Coast and the fourth-largest in the United States, has committed to a new transparency framework that provides the essential milestones and annual public reporting required to turn its 2032 cage-free commitment into a verifiable reality.
This progress follows a surge of advocate-led action, including a November 2025 petition delivery at Hannaford headquarters. Over 6,000 consumers demanded that the company prioritize its cage-free pledge and publicly disclose its progress. Maine State Representative Dylan Pugh joined Mercy For Animals and local advocates at Hannaford headquarters to personally advocate for transparency for constituents and the millions of hens confined to wire cages. In these facilities, birds are unable to engage in essential behaviors, like spreading their wings or nesting. More than just a pledge, this roadmap is the essential framework for Ahold Delhaize to meet its 2032 targets. It replaces ambiguity with rigorous, public-facing milestones, providing the documented progress needed to keep the company accountable and on track to fulfill its commitment.
Ahold Delhaize operates more than 2,000 stores under multiple brands, including Hannaford, Food Lion, Stop & Shop, The Giant Company, and Giant Food, across 23 states. While the company previously extended its 100% cage-free deadline to 2032, this new agreement establishes the concrete accountability measures necessary to ensure progress is measurable and transparent along the way.
Ahold Delhaize Commits to Measurable Cage-Free Progress:
- Two-Year Accountability Benchmarks: Specific two-year goals (2026, 2028, 2030, 2032) to reduce the number of caged shell egg SKUs, or product varieties, on shelves and increase cage-free offerings and sales, ensuring the millions of hens confined to wire cages are no longer left behind.
- Annual Public Reporting: Annual updates detailing progress on caged SKU reductions, expansion of cage-free SKU penetration, and cage-free egg sales, holding Ahold Delhaize publicly accountable for delivering a cage-free future.
- Nationwide In-Store Signage: Clear identification of cage-free egg options across all store locations by the end of the third quarter of 2026 to improve consumer awareness and access while reinforcing the company’s commitment to ending caged suffering.
“This is a victory for transparency and a testament to the power of public advocacy,” said Maha Bazzi, Director of Animal Welfare Initiatives at Mercy For Animals. “For over a year, thousands spoke up to demand better conditions for hens. By committing to public benchmarks and clear in-store signage, Ahold is giving consumers the honesty they deserve and proving that a cage-free future is not just a goal, but a measurable reality.”
Mercy For Animals recognizes the many organizations in the United States and internationally whose campaign work made this monumental win possible.
Campaign images are available here:
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For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Melanie Greene at [email protected]
Mercy For Animals is a leading international nonprofit working to end industrial animal agriculture by constructing a just and sustainable food system. Active in Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico, Southeast Asia, and the United States, the organization has conducted over 100 investigations of factory farms and slaughterhouses, influenced over 500 corporate policies, and helped pass historic legislation to ban cages for farmed animals. Learn more at MercyForAnimals.org.
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