In 2018, Unilever pledged to source 100% cage-free eggs globally by 2025. Now well into 2026, the FMCG powerhouse has failed to follow through on that commitment outside Europe and North America.
While it has fulfilled its pledge in two key regions, campaigners say the gaps that remain in Latin America, Africa and Asia leave an estimated 4.9 million hens still confined in cages each year. They argue this creates a two-tier animal welfare standard between Western markets and developing regions.
In light of this, protests took place outside the firm’s AGM, (which this year was held at the Hilton London Bankside) and at its global HQ Unilever House last week.
Orchestrated by the Humane League’s Open Wing Alliance, the demonstrations saw protesters display large signs and banners, chant slogans and hire mobile billboards to draw attention to the plight of caged hens and urge Unilever to fully honour its 2018 pledge.
As a leading manufacturer, Unilever has a responsibility to show that they are giving the best to all of their consumers.
Loretta Piare, Open Wing Alliance Europe lead
Battery cages vs enriched cages
Many barren battery cages offer no more space than a standard A4 sheet of paper, preventing the hen from engaging in natural behaviours such as foraging or perching. The cramped conditions also mean the birds are unable to walk, fly or move very much at all.
Generally, once a hen is placed in such a cage, it will remain there until it is sent for slaughter and will never feel grass or natural sunlight.
The use of these battery cages is illegal in the UK and across all European Union (EU) states.
Enriched cages, however, remain legal and common practice across Britain and the continent, although Downing Street is consulting on a proposed phasing out of their use.
In North America, battery cages have been banned in several US states, and commitments have been made to phase it out in Canada.
But, in much of the developing world, this method remains standard practice; with large swathes of South America, Africa and Asia continuing to rely on it.
What the protesters want from Unilever
Speaking to Food Manufacture from the demonstration outside Unilever House last week, Open Wing Alliance Europe’s membership lead, Loretta Piare, highlighted why the Unilever needs to double down on its commitment worldwide.
“By getting Unilever to recommit to going cage-free across the globe, not just in Europe and the US, we know we are going to be improving the lives and reducing the suffering of millions of animals,” she said.
“They need to be showing not only that they are treating the world equitably, but that they are considering that everybody around the world deserves products that are produced with a minimum level of animal welfare.
“As a leading manufacturer, Unilever has a responsibility to show that they are giving the best to all of their consumers.”
The buck stops with multinationals
While the UK is largely self-sufficient in terms of eggs, the picture looks very different globally.
Worldwide, China produces nearly half of the total supply and an estimated 90% of its production results from caged systems.
As such, caged hen farming is highly prevalent, if not deeply entrenched, in certain parts of the world – most notably in developing economies where securing high levels of production currently outweighs animal welfare concerns.
Unilever, therefore, has a significantly harder task on its hands in sourcing and working with the relatively small number of industrial egg producers in the global south that do not use caged systems.
And the rather uncomplicated bottom line as to why it has not been able to fully meet its cage-free commitment is that doing so is considerably more difficult – and no doubt more costly – in markets where cage-free production is not the accepted standard.
Recognising the differences in the scale of production between Europe and the US and the developing world, Piare said: “There is definitely a big disparity between the amount of production in places like Europe and the US compared with Latin America, Africa, and Asia, but that is an opportunity for Unilever to be working with the producers in these regions to be improving the access to cage-free eggs.”
She does, however, point out that the proverbial buck stops with the multinationals that dominate international markets.
“It’s Unilever’s responsibility, it’s the responsibility of food manufacturers to be helping the producers and suppliers across the world to transition their systems.
“They are the ones who should be absorbing costs, they’re the ones who have the insights, they know what’s happening in these markets, and they’re the only ones who can stop it.”
A harsh truth
Piare said the hope of Alliance is to open a dialogue with Unilever to ensure that it maintains its original 100% cage-free pledge.
“We didn’t want to have to resort to coming out here and protesting today, this is never the first point of call. We always want to start with peaceful negotiations,” she told Food Manufacture.
“We want to work with Unilever to make sure that they can put in place a road-map to fulfil their global cage-free commitment.”
For reasons that remain unclear, the FMCG giant removed its global pledge in late 2025 following a period of corporate restructuring.
Striking a frustrated tone, Piare added: “They made a public commitment. They’ve had almost a decade to do this and they have shown a complete lack of progress, and a lack of a drive to work with any of the producers and suppliers in any region outside of Europe and the US, thinking that that is enough.
“It’s unacceptable to believe that just because we’re in different areas geographically, that we deserve anything different.”
She points out that, as one of the world’s foremost manufacturers, Unilever not only has a responsibility to stick to its commitments on animal welfare, but also to uphold promises made to its customers.
While Unilever has been able to keep its commitment in North America and Europe, as mentioned, most countries in these regions already prohibit the use of battery cages. Therefore, the pledge’s true legacy would be most keenly felt in markets where the practice remains legal.
Of course, it won’t be easy for Unilever to fulfil its pledge in full in these markets, but surely it can only enhance its reputation and integrity if it gives it a fair crack, instead of consigning the pledge to history in the regions where it is needed most.
Unilever has been approached for comment.
