Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of guest commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.
•••
Target continues to provide unsubstantiated excuses for why it cannot keep its self-imposed promise for one of the biggest animal welfare abuses of our time (“Activists press Target about cage-free eggs,” July 30). As corporate lead of the Humane League, a global organization dedicated to eliminating the abuse of animals for food, I know flimsy corporate excuses when I see them. Here’s why consumers should be wary of Target’s continued delays and broken promises to source 100% cage-free eggs, freeing hens from tiny, cramped cages in its supply chain.
Target blames the horrific losses of 170 million hens due to the bird flu for its failure to meet its own animal welfare standards, but the cage-free flock is now at its highest proportion ever, with 46.5% of the U.S. flock living in cage-free housing. Ten years ago — around the time Target originally made its cage-free commitment — the cage-free flock was only 10% of the population. Since then, hundreds of millions of hens have been spared from cages thanks to the companies that are actually following through on their cage-free commitments.
On the other hand, the caged flock is at its smallest size in years, and has been continually shrinking over the past several months, despite a pause in major bird flu outbreaks, according to United States Department of Agriculture data. Based on these figures, the cage-free flock is recovering from the impact of bird flu faster than the caged flock, giving Target little leeway in blaming the disease for its lack of accountability.
Target blames consumer demand. But it’s evident that consumers want a more ethical egg. Even Target’s own welfare page says that since its 2016 cage-free commitment, “the proportion of cage-free eggs purchased by our customers has increased over time.” More strikingly, a recent study showed that nearly 80% of Americans say they prefer to buy eggs from chickens that have not been kept in cages.
Target blames WIC requirements for its slow progress, but the people wrongfully excluded from purchasing cage-free eggs with WIC funds are less than half of one percent of consumers. Using disadvantaged women, infants and children as cover for Target’s failure to meet its self-imposed corporate responsibility standards is misleading at best and deeply cynical at worst. And the excuse that cage-free egg purchases are not allowed in some WIC state programs does not address the core problem: Consumers should not have to pay exorbitant markups for a more ethical product. McDonalds, a low-cost option, went cage-free years ahead of its promised date.
Eleven states have passed legislation or created rules banning confinement for egg-laying hens. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 12 in 2023 and more recently in June denied the Iowa Pork Producers Association’s petition.
