2025 Cage-Free Deadline Looms For U.S. Restaurants

In “battery cages,” hens live crammed next to one another, unable to extend their wings and engage in the most basic natural behaviors. Consumers have become more aware of the cruelty behind caged eggs as a result of dozens of investigations and campaigns, and nearly all major restaurant companies have promised to phase out caged eggs by 2025. While cage-free commitments are an important step towards a kinder world, without action, the promises made by these companies are meaningless. As the restaurant sector continues to rebound after the global pandemic, this report says it’s time for restaurant chains to show leadership and fulfill their promises.

The Humane League published this yearly report to call on brands to publicly share their progress, especially with the 2025 deadline looming. As companies have made the choice to transition to cage-free eggs, the report acts as a way to hold them accountable while informing consumers on which ones have kept their promises. Emphasizing that consumers should be able to trust the brands they purchase from, this year’s Eggsposé reveals which companies may risk losing customers by falling short. The researchers call for transparency from restaurants with a 2025 or 2026 deadline, while highlighting the progress so far.

On the production side of things, a cage-free transition is being embraced. The report states that cage-free eggs are not just a trend, but rather becoming the industry standard. In 2023, half of all egg producers went cage-free. By 2024, 72% of producers surveyed by the researchers plan to add indoor cage-free housing for farmed chickens.

To make their evaluation, the research team tried to contact each company featured in the report several months before its publication to let them know of the evaluation. Many did not reply, with all data gathered from publicly shared reports by the companies themselves.

The Findings

The report found a few wins so far, including McDonald’s, which fulfilled their commitment to source 100% of their eggs from cage-free farmed chickens two years ahead of schedule. Taco Bell shared that they have been sourcing cage-free eggs since 2016 and TGI Friday’s since 2019. For overall performance ratings, the report split results into two groups: drive-thru and dine-in restaurants.

Drive-Thru Restaurants

In the drive-thru section, nine companies were found to already be sourcing 100% cage-free eggs, including Starbucks and Shake Shack. A further 13 companies reported progress in their transition, though all had their deadlines fast approaching. These included Panera Bread, KFC, and Tim Hortons. Another 22 chains were found to not be reporting any progress, with 13 of the group actually having removed their policies. These included all seven of the chains by GoTo Foods, who removed its policy after a rebrand in 2024. GoTo Foods (previously Focus Brands) hosts chains including Jamba, Cinnabon, and Auntie Anne’s. Lastly, 20 companies did not have any policy directed towards sourcing cage-free eggs, including Domino’s and In-N-Out Burger.

Dine-In Restaurants

On the other hand, dine-in restaurants saw 17 chains sourcing 100% cage-free eggs. Another 14 chains reported making progress towards their cage-free goals. The report identified three companies (Cracker Barrel, MTY Group, and Eat’n Park) whose progress slowed and policy reduced scope. A further 21 restaurant chains chose not to report, with 15 of them removing their policy. Finally, 15 restaurant chains had no cage-free policy, including Waffle House and Texas Roadhouse.

The study offered a brief face-off, praising companies which have stuck to their promises while questioning those who have failed to do so. For instance, Dairy Queen has reported good progress towards their cage-free commitments, while Wendy’s has refused to transition all locations to cage-free.

Other companies with the thumbs up by the report for their efforts included: Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, McDonald’s, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, IHOP, and Denny’s.

Those with a thumbs down for their lack of transparency and progress included: Dunkin’, Cinnabon, Wendy’s, Taco John’s, Bob Evans, Golden Corral, Texas Roadhouse, BJ’s, Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesday, PF Chang’s, and Fogo de Chão.

The report ends with a clear statement that now is the time for businesses in the restaurant industry to go cage-free. They want restaurants to answer if they will hold themselves accountable to the deadlines they set themselves and meet the demands of their customers.

Animal advocates can use this report’s findings to create campaigns directed at companies who have backtracked or removed their policies, while educating consumers on the companies who have made the most progress so they can choose alternatives that align more with their values.