Majority of Kroger shoppers expect follow-through on cage-free egg commitment

June 26, 2026 - WASHINGTON—On Thursday, Humane World for Animals, formerly called the Humane Society of the United States, released the results of a national poll about consumer awareness and trust of egg carton labeling, specifically how customers of Kroger grocery stores feel about deceptive claims.  

The poll conducted by Bedrock Polling reveals more than four out of five Kroger shoppers feel confused by wording on Kroger’s egg cartons that leads them to believe hens are treated better than they really are and also betrayed by Kroger’s broken commitment to consumers to only sell cage-free eggs by 2025. Kroger owns more than 2,700 stores in the U.S. including locations under the Harris Teeter, Mariano’s and Ralphs names.   

Poll highlights: 

• More than four out of five Kroger shoppers (80.6%) assumed hens were treated well after seeing a photo of a Kroger egg carton from caged hens labeled with terms such as “Grade AA,” “Quality Approved,” “Farm Fresh” and “Vegetarian Fed”—even though those terms are virtually meaningless when it comes to animal welfare, and don’t stop producers from cramming hens into feces-encrusted cages.  
• More than four out of five Kroger shoppers (83.0%) reacted negatively when asked how they would feel about a store that failed to keep a promise to stop selling eggs from caged hens, citing anger, disappointment, distrust and ethical concern. 
• Nearly three out of five Kroger shoppers (59%) said they would be more likely to shop at a store that refused to sell eggs from caged hens. 

On a typical egg factory farm, hens are crammed into barren wire cages where they endure a lifetime of captivity in which each bird has a space smaller than a single letter-sized sheet of paper and cannot even spread their wings.  

Kitty Block, president and CEO of Humane World for Animals, said: “Across the country, people agree that animals raised for food deserve humane treatment and that companies should be transparent about how those standards are met. Delivering on cage-free commitments is essential to maintaining both animal welfare and public trust. Kroger should uphold its commitment and reflect the values of its customers.” 

Eight states (California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and as of 2032, Arizona) have banned the sale of caged eggs, and major U.S. companies including Amazon, McDonald’s, Costco, Trader Joe’s, IHOP, Subway, Nestlé and many more have stopped selling eggs from hens housed in cages.  

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly half of all eggs in the U.S. are now cage-free. Six of the top 10 grocers in the United States have current policies to sell whole eggs that are cage-free or have a concrete plan to soon stop selling eggs from producers that keep hens confined in cages. More than 10 million Americans voted to pass cage-free ballot measures in California and Massachusetts alone. 

More information about Kroger’s obligation to do the right thing at humaneworld.org/kroger.  

Source: Humane World for Animals