Why were over 20 companies, including Wendy’s and Einstein Bros. Bagels, publicly called out in this year’s Eggsposé report?

Today’s consumer climate demands transparency. Stakeholders—from customers to investors—expect to see evidence of a company’s commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility. In fact, the International Financial Law Review recently identified credibility and transparency as key themes for the corporate landscape of 2023.

But while many brands have openly shared progress on their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals, some have recently been called out for failing to communicate with customers. These companies have gone radio silent, neglecting to publicly address their promises to end the use of eggs from hens kept in cruel battery cages. Many have stopped reporting progress or quietly removed their commitments from their websites.

Over the past decade, in response to growing legislation and customer demand, nearly every major US food company made a commitment to source exclusively cage-free eggs. By and large, these commitments have been successful—a 2022 report from the Open Wing Alliance found that 88% of companies with cage-free deadlines that had passed were reporting complete fulfillment of their cage-free goals.?

But not all companies have publicly shared the same progress.

The Humane League has just released our annual Eggsposé report. In it, we call out over 20 companies who had original cage-free deadlines of 2023 or earlier, but who are now refusing to publicly report progress on their cage-free commitments.

The use of battery cages is exceedingly unpopular among customers. A recent survey found that over 94% of consumers find the extreme confinement of hens unacceptable. Therefore, as public awareness of this issue has grown, nearly all US companies have set their sights on eliminating the use of battery cages by 2025.

The Humane League is committed to demanding accountability from companies that haven't publicly shared progress on their commitments. It’s crucial that customers be made aware of companies that refuse to be transparent about whether they have actually achieved their goals, and reports like The 2023 Eggsposé will continue to bring to light the companies that have failed to update the public on their commitments.

This year, The Humane League is drawing attention to Einstein Bros Bagels , The Wendy's Company , Omni Hotels & Resorts , Fogo de Ch?o , Pilot Flying J , Hyvee Rx , Wawa, Inc. , On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina , Genuine Foods , Gourmet Garage , Chopt Creative Salad Company , SPB Hospitality / Old Chicago Restaurants , Fresh N Lean , Opaa! Food Management , InterContinental Hotels & Resorts , Bridor , American Food & Vending , Southern Foodservice Management, Inc. , AVI Foodsystems , and Taher, Inc. .

Each of these companies failed to publicly report progress on their promise to transition to cage-free eggs.

We are calling on these companies to be honest with the public about their neglected commitments. To learn about how you can get involved, visit www.thehumaneleague.org/2023-cage-free-eggspose.