In a move that has ruffled more than a few feathers, Richard Walker, chairman of Iceland Foods, has brushed aside the supermarket’s previous promise to eliminate caged eggs from its supply chain, saying bluntly: “That pledge was made before I joined, nothing to do with me.”
The supermarket had nearly a decade to phase out the inhumane practice of confining laying hens to cramped cages—yet as of last year, 71% of eggs sold by Iceland still came from these conditions. Now, after years of stalling, the company has dropped its cage-free pledge entirely.
Animal welfare campaigners are not buying the excuses. “We need a new timeline, not finger-pointing or rhetorical deflections,” said a spokesperson for the campaign, which has been joined by Dame Joanna Lumley and over 57,000 supporters. “Hens deserve so much better.”
While all other major UK supermarkets have met or are on track to meet their commitments to eliminate cages, Iceland’s inaction stands out starkly. It’s not just activists in the aisles: 94% of the British public opposes the caging of hens. Critics say Iceland’s refusal to modernise its egg supply chain amounts to a betrayal of both animal welfare and consumer trust.
Inside these cages, hens are crammed into spaces no larger than an A4 sheet of paper, denied sunlight and fresh air—an indignity in a nation that prides itself on kindness to animals.
Campaigners say time is running out to right this wrong. They’re calling on Iceland to hatch a new plan and end the cruelty, once and for all.
