Walmart May Take Nine Years To Switch To Cage-free Eggs

(RTTNews) - The retail giant Walmart is opting for cage-free eggs in recognition of animal rights and sustainability. By 2025, all eggs in Walmart and Sam's Club racks will be cage-free.

The retailer that supplies 25 percent of food items in U.S. has been selling cage-free eggs from 2001. There are more than 5000 Walmart stores in the U.S.

Walmart said that it would care for animal welfare and ensure that they would not be starved, have enough space to move around, and do not suffer mental distress.

The Humane Society, which has been demanding for animal welfare rights said Walmart's announcement would likely benefit more animals than any other corporate announcement.

For the egg industry, the transition from caged rearing to cage-free rearing is a costly affair. According to United Egg Producers, only around eight percent of birds in U.S. are cage-free and only four percent are organic of the total 275 million layers. Egg shell production in U.S. is around 8 billion.

Earlier, Burger King had announced its commitment to use cage-free eggs by 2017. Trader Joe's, one of the largest grocer in U.S. with more than 400 stores, has also announced its plan to change to 100 percent cage-free eggs by 2025. McDonald's and Taco Bell are also planning for organic eggs.