New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square go cage-egg free!

We’ve just taken a giant
leap
forward in our plan to see a world where hens don’t suffer in cages.

Just months ago, SAFE was pleased to announce Countdown was going  cage-free following a major campaign from SAFE, supporters, and the NZ  public. Now, after talks with SAFE,  Foodstuffs, the company who owns  New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square supermarkets, has now committed to phasing out cage eggs throughout New Zealand! That’s 463 stores – and marks all our major supermarkets as committed to cage-free. 

“This is a historic moment for animals in New Zealand.  Foodstuffs has listened to caring New Zealanders and made the decision  to phase-out all cage eggs by 2027,” says campaigns director Mandy  Carter.

“This momentous move is the culmination of a series of negotiations  over many months between ourselves and Foodstuffs. We are now setting  our sights on the end of the cruel cage-age for hens.” 

With both Foodstuffs’ and Countdown’s supermarkets going cage-free,  approximately 1.25 million hens will be freed from a life confined in  cages.

 

By law, conventional battery cages have to be removed by  egg producers by 2022. However, the egg industry was set to replace  these cages with equally cruel colony cages.

“Although a ten year phase out of cage eggs to 2027 is a  long time, it is in line with retailer commitments overseas, and  considering the effect this will have on colony cages, it is very  significant win,” says Ms Carter.

“We are at a vital moment in history. As all the major  supermarkets have now decided to go cage egg-free, the market for such  cruel products will decrease to the point that the egg industry would be  foolish to plough money into building new colony cages. This  announcement by Foodstuffs isn’t just a crucial breakthrough to free  hens from cages; it hammers a huge nail in the coffin of colony cages.”

Today’s announcement is a huge breakthrough for hens, but we vow to  continue fighting for hens until all cages are consigned to the history  books.

Action

We are hatching a new plan to encourage other food businesses to go cage-free, but we need your help to make this happen:

• Support the fight for caged hens with a gift of $25 today.
• Help with our next campaign. Sign up to SAFE Animal Action Network to get involved in activism made easy. It only takes minutes to help animals.