A leading Australian manufacturer in flour, ingredients and bakery products has announced it will eliminate cage eggs from its supply chain by 2023.

Allied Pinnacle is the largest bakery supplier to Coles and Woolworths and owns brands such as The Happy Cookie Co. and NY Bagels. They use over 40 million eggs annually which at the end of the phase out period will spare over 130,000 hens from a life of battery cage confinement.  

Allied Pinnacle’s CEO James Ajaka said they had worked closely with Animals Australia to develop their cage free egg policy.

“We will be working closely with our egg suppliers, and customers, to continue the phasing out of caged-eggs,” he said. “This is a significant undertaking given the size and scope of our requirements, but we are confident we can achieve our target of 100% cage-free eggs by 2023.” 

Animals Australia applauded the announcement, saying that Allied Pinnacle’s commitment is a major step towards eliminating cages from the Australian egg industry. The announcement also comes at a critical time in Australia as the future of the battery cage is about to be decided through a government review of the Poultry Code. 

Animals Australia CEO Glenys Oogjes said the move demonstrates how animal protection organisations and the corporate sector can work together constructively to improve the lives of animals.

“We greatly appreciate Allied Pinnacle’s co-operation in reaching this outcome. While consumers are increasingly choosing not to buy cage eggs, many people don’t realise that food products they purchase in supermarkets or cafes can often contain egg ingredients that come from hens confined to cages. In fact, 60% of eggs produced are used in food rather than being sold as whole eggs.”

“At a time that a legal ban on the battery cage is being considered by governments, this commitment by a leading food manufacturer sends another strong signal to the egg industry that cages will soon be redundant,” she said.

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