It is deeply disappointing to see Unilever – one of the world’s largest food manufacturers – not only abandon the global cage‑free egg commitment it made in 2018 but also withdraw from the higher‑welfare broiler chicken requirements of the Better Chicken Commitment.
Cage‑Free Egg Commitment
After reaching 68% global cage‑free implementation, this reversal leaves hens confined in cages, unable to express even their most basic natural behaviours. Unilever’s pledge was global in scope – not limited to Europe and North America, where it has since gone 100% cage‑free.
Consumers around the world trusted the company to honour that promise. Cage‑free production continues to expand across international markets, for example almost 70% of hotels in Thailand now have cage-free egg commitments. By stepping back, Unilever falls far behind a growing industry consensus that caged systems are becoming obsolete.
Unilever helped ignite the global cage‑free movement with Hellmann’s Good Egg Award in 2008 – a genuinely trailblazing moment that set off a ripple effect across the industry. Reaching 68% cage‑free globally is a significant achievement, but the company must keep going. The final steps in emerging markets may be challenging but staying the course and prioritising the welfare of the animals in its supply, wherever they are in the world, is essential.
Better Chicken Commitment
Unilever signed the Better Chicken Commitment back in 2017 yet has made little progress across its global supply chain – achieving 14-20% transition on the on-farm criteria. Citing supply challenges, the company has now abandoned this commitment as well, leaving millions of fast-growing chickens in its supply chain trapped in unhealthy oversized bodies and raised in overcrowded, barren barns.
We call on Unilever to demonstrate its continued dedication to improving poultry welfare by reinstating both its global cage-free egg commitment and its Better Chicken Commitment, publishing clear, time-bound roadmaps to full implementation, supported by detailed action plans. Compassion in World Farming stands ready to support Unilever in doing the right thing and resuming meaningful progress toward a kinder future.
