Swiss food company Nestle has committed to use only cage-free eggs for its US food products by 2020.
With this decision, the packaged food company has joined companies like Kellogg, McDonalds, Subway and Dunkin' Donuts, who have already pledged to source and use cage free eggs and poultry.
The move comes in the wake of increased campaign from animal rights activists and consumer groups to focus on improvements in animals' treatment that provide meat, eggs, and other foods, reports The Wall Street Journal.
The food manufacturers and restaurant chains are being criticized as the US egg industry raised egg-laying hens in small cages that restricted the movement of the birds.
Nestlé USA CEO Paul Grimwood was quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying: "Our products are in the fridges and pantries of socially conscious consumers across the United States, and we share their belief in the importance of responsibly sourced ingredients."
In 2014, Nestle had said that it planned to minimize the use of eggs from caged hens, but did not specify the timeline at the time.
Kellogg plans to source only cage-free eggs for its foods and eliminating gestation stalls from its pork supply chain by the end of 2025.
In addition, Kellogg also intends to consider the "Five Freedoms" of animal welfare, an internationally recognized set of humane treatment principles, to make its supply chain animal friendly. Similarly, McDonalds also announced plans to stop using eggs from chickens raised in cages in the US and Canada over the next ten years.
The move is expected to leave a major impact on the egg industry given that the restaurant chain annually uses two billion eggs in the US, and 120 million in Canada.
