Tesco has announced that it has completed its transition to 100% cage-free own-brand eggs across all stores in the UK and Ireland, fulfilling a pledge first made in 2016. The supermarket giant, the largest in the UK, revealed the milestone in its 2026 Sustainability Report, following similar moves by Asda and Lidl earlier this year.
Tesco's Cage-Free Commitment
Originally promising to stop selling cage eggs by 2025, Tesco has now achieved that goal across both its UK and Irish supply chains. A Tesco spokesperson told The Grocer: "Animal welfare is extremely important to us, and we’re committed to continually raising standards while supporting Britain’s poultry farmers. Alongside meeting our cage-free commitment across own-brand eggs in the UK, all of our fresh chicken is British and we continue to work closely with UK farmers to ensure it meets higher welfare requirements."
The spokesperson added: "This includes exceeding government standards by providing birds with 20% more space than the industry norm. Our approach not only strengthens British agriculture but also helps drive improvements in welfare across the wider poultry sector, ensuring our customers can continue to enjoy high‑quality, responsibly sourced chicken and eggs at great value."
Progress Since 2016
When the pledge was first announced in 2016, Tesco revealed that 43% of the 1.4 billion eggs it sold annually came from caged eggs, also known as enriched colonies. The remaining 57% were from free-range or organic methods. The switch means that all own-brand eggs sold by Tesco now come from cage-free systems.
Industry and Animal Welfare Response
Animal rights NGO Compassion in World Farming praised Tesco's move. A spokesperson said: "Many UK food businesses have already recognised the growing consumer demand for cage‑free eggs and are either fully compliant or well on their way. The next logical step is for Defra to protect British farmers transitioning to cage-free by banning the import of caged eggs and ensuring that cage‑free production becomes the baseline standard across the UK."
The organisation added: "We are looking forward to the results from the UK government’s consultation on phasing out all cages for laying hens and hope to see swift action to introduce legislation."
Supermarket Trends
Asda and Lidl also achieved their cage-free egg goals this year, meaning three of the seven largest UK supermarkets have now completed the transition. The move reflects growing consumer demand for higher welfare standards in egg production.
