Global Progress! Delaware North Extends Its Ban on Cages for Hens

After pressure from Mercy For Animals and our supporters, Delaware North—one of the world’s largest foodservice companies—has announced that it will extend its U.S. and UK cage-free commitments to ALL of its operations worldwide.

This new pledge, once fulfilled, will reduce suffering for countless hens in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and any of Delaware North’s future countries of operation. 

Caging hens is an issue that impacts people and animals worldwide, and companies have a duty to ban this cruel confinement in their global supply chains. Each bird is forced to live on cage-floor space roughly the area of a sheet of printer paper, unable to do much of anything that comes naturally, such as nesting or dustbathing. 

As more people learn about the misery chickens endure in the egg industry, public outcry is propelling a rapidly growing global cage-free movement. More than 140 multinational food companies have global cage-free commitments covering their entire operations. 

Delaware North has joined its competitors, including Compass Group, Sodexo, Aramark, Newrest, and ISS, as well as major fast-food brands like KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Hungry Jack’s, in pledging to source 100 percent cage-free eggs throughout its global operations.

Delaware North has tremendous reach, providing food services for stadiums, airports, parks, and other major venues around the world. Zoë Sigle, Mercy For Animals’ senior global corporate engagement manager, stated:

Delaware North has taken a meaningful step toward a more compassionate world. By extending its U.S. and UK cage-free policy to all of its international operations by 2025, the company will ensure hens in its Asia Pacific supply chain do not endure the intense physical suffering and mental anguish associated with cruel cage confinement. We expect this commitment to drive even more progress in the Asia Pacific region amid the rapidly advancing global cage-free movement.

Around the world, more than 80 percent of hens used for eggs are confined to crowded cages without room to even spread their wings.

Together, we can change this. Sign our petition urging decision-makers at major companies to expand their cage-free egg commitments to include all hens in their operations—and to be equitable in reporting regional progress on these commitments.