Images are representative of typical factory farm conditions
Most laying hens worldwide are confined to tiny, crowded cages without room to even spread their wings. Each hen spends on average at least 60% more time in pain when being exploited in a cage system, from bone injuries and other ailments to not having access to a nest.
Cage confinement of laying hens is also associated with significantly higher rates of salmonella, raising serious food safety concerns for consumers.
Images are representative of typical factory farm conditions
As a global issue, companies are responsible for banning cruel confinement of hens in their supply chains. But when cage-free egg commitments don’t span the globe, the egg industry displaces animal cruelty by exporting cages from the Global North to the Global South…
…however, consumers in the Global South also reject animal cruelty, such as cramped cages for hens.1
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Brazil – 96.3%
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Chile – 96.7%
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China – 72.3%
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India – 71.9%
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Malaysia – 73.3%
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Nigeria – 77.9%
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Pakistan – 93.6%
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Philippines – 77.1%
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Sudan – 73.4%
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Thailand – 77.7%
The Egg-quity Index is a leading global report ranking major food companies on the equity of their global cage-free commitments.
Find out which companies are implementing equity and which are falling behind.
What is evaluated?
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Transparency:
public progress reporting in each global region
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Roadmaps:
clear path to 100% cage-free in each global region
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Implementation:
progress made in each global region
Download the full report for scoring methodology and insight into company performance:
The Egg-quity Index is a project by Mercy For Animals in close partnership with these groups:
Company categorizations reflect published commitments and progress reporting as of October 14, 2024. Some franchisees or licensees have cage-free egg commitments that cover some but not all countries of operation. Images are representative of typical factory farm conditions.
* As the language used in Aramark’s credit statement is not as committal as other companies, Aramark will receive only half the points allocated for publishing a credit statement in the scorecard.
** While Newrest and Hilton have made progress by regionally reporting in all regions and developing independent roadmaps, unlike others in this tier, they have not committed to utilizing cage-free credits.
*** Krispy Kreme has recently been move to the second tier due to their commitment to cage-free credits. However, it’s important to note that they do not provide regional reporting, therefore causing a score of 60 points.
1 In a study of consumer attitudes toward hen welfare around the world, most respondents in surveyed countries agreed that chickens used for eggs should not suffer.
* As the language used in Aramark’s credit statement is not as committal as other companies, Aramark will receive only half the points allocated for publishing a credit statement in the scorecard.
** While Newrest and Hilton have made progress by regionally reporting in all regions and developing independent roadmaps, unlike others in this tier, they have not committed to utilizing cage-free credits.
*** Krispy Kreme has recently been move to the second tier due to their commitment to cage-free credits. However, it’s important to note that they do not provide regional reporting, therefore causing a score of 60 points.
1 In a study of consumer attitudes toward hen welfare around the world, most respondents in surveyed countries agreed that chickens used for eggs should not suffer.