It’s almost the end of cage eggs in New Zealand as we know it.
FreshChoice and SuperValue have announced they are phasing out cage eggs and will only sell free range eggs by 2025.
Countdown also announced the same commitment last year.
The three supermarkets are all owned by Progressive Enterprise.
“We are pleased to be working with our suppliers towards offering only cage-free eggs in the near future,” said Kiri Hannifin, general manager of corporate affairs at Countdown.
Hannifin also said the decision for Fresh Choice and Super Value to go cage-free was delayed as they needed to ensure “surety of supply with different egg suppliers”.
Animal rights’ campaigners SAFE said this was a “pivotal moment in history”.
“Now all the major supermarkets have decided to go cage-egg-free, the market for such cruel products is decreasing to the point that the egg industry will be rethinking any decision to build new colony cages,” SAFE’s Mandy Carter said.
Foodstuffs, which own Pak ‘n Save and New World, have committed to being cage-free by 2027.
