By tracking and measuring progress, EggTrack aims to accelerate the transition to cage-free eggs, spotlighting leaders, motivating laggards, and reinforcing the need for continuous improvement and transparency as companies work towards their goal of being 100% cage-free.

The tool is designed for food companies, industry stakeholders, investors, conscious consumers, as well as those responsible for the day-to-day decision-making and implementation processes needed to achieve cage-free production.

By promoting market transparency, EggTrack encourages companies to report their year-on-year progress in transitioning to cage-free eggs. This is vital, as the real impact for laying hens is only realised when companies fulfil their pledges.

A global movement towards cage-free eggs

A significant global movement is underway toward cage-free egg production. Companies worldwide are making cage-free commitments across their supply chains; these commitments can be made across one or several egg categories (shell eggs, egg products, egg ingredients), at a national, regional or global level.

To date, there have been over 2,500 cage-free commitments globally (source: chickenwatch). Since 2007, Compassion in World Farming has recognised these commitments by awarding 791 Good Egg Awards to companies for their cage-free policies or commitments. These commitments are set to benefit over 112 million laying hens each year.

Companies are making tangible progress towards these commitments, as highlighted by the 2023 Global EggTrack Report. The report shows that out of 715 commitments from 444 companies, 71% (or 511 commitments) have reported measurable progress. Notably, there has been a significant shift, with a 75% transition to cage-free systems overall.

The report also highlights the geographical distribution of these commitments: 79 companies operate globally, 134 in the USA, 274 in Europe (including the UK), and 23 in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC).

Europe has made the most progress toward cage-free sourcing, followed by the USA (see chart below). The global transition to cage-free systems increased by 6.9 percentage points from 2022 to 2023, demonstrating a positive trend in improving animal welfare standards across the egg industry.