ISSAQUAH, Wash. – Nestle, General Mills and Kellogg are among the major food manufacturers to announce a commitment to cage-free eggs, while Panera, McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and Subway headline the list of restaurants making the move. Now, food retailer Costco is getting in on the act.
The Issaquah-based company recently posted a statement to its web site indicating its commitment to going cage-free for its egg procurement.
“Since 2006, we have already substantially increased our percentage of cage?free eggs: in fiscal 2006 cage?free eggs represented 2 percent of eggs we sold, and today they represent 26 percent,” the company said. “In calendar 2016 we expect to sell over one billion cage-free eggs. We are working with our suppliers toward a complete and sustainable transition to a cage?free supply chain. This transition, however, will take time because currently over 90 percent of the supply of eggs is from caged hens and because other retailers and restaurants are also moving to cage-free requirements, placing greater demands on the limited supply.”
Costco is an American membership-only warehouse club that provides a selection of merchandise, including food. It is the second largest retailer in the world, after Wal-Mart, and the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. As of Nov. 11, Costco had a total of 674 warehouses spread throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Spain.
