Tesco has revealed that it has completed a switch that it announced years ago. The supermarket, which is the largest in the UK, has completed its changeover to cage-free eggs, following in the footsteps of Asda and Lidl. Tesco recently released its Sustainability Report for 2026, revealing that it has made the change across both its UK and Irish supply chains. It had made the pledge back in 2016, originally promising to stop selling cage eggs by 2025.

A Tesco spokesperson told The Grocer: "Animal welfare is extremely important to us, and we’re committed to continually raising standards while supporting Britain’s poultry farmers. Alongside meeting our cage-free commitment across own-brand eggs in the UK, all of our fresh chicken is British and we continue to work closely with UK farmers to ensure it meets higher welfare requirements."

They added: "This includes exceeding government standards by providing birds with 20% more space than the industry norm."

"Our approach not only strengthens British agriculture but also helps drive improvements in welfare across the wider poultry sector, ensuring our customers can continue to enjoy high‑quality, responsibly sourced chicken and eggs at great value."

When plans were first announced back in 2016, Tesco said that some 43% of the 1.4 billion eggs sold by Tesco each year come from caged eggs, also known as enriched colonies. Meanwhile, some 57% of eggs sold by Tesco in the UK came from Free Range or Organic methods.

Animal rights NGO Compassion in World Farming praised Tesco's move. A spokesperson said: "Many UK food businesses have already recognised the growing consumer demand for cage‑free eggs and are either fully compliant or well on their way.

"The next logical step is for Defra to protect British farmers transitioning to cage-free by banning the import of caged eggs and ensuring that cage‑free production becomes the baseline standard across the UK,” the organisation continued.

They added: "We are looking forward to the results from the UK government’s consultation on phasing out all cages for laying hens and hope to see swift action to introduce legislation."

Asda and Lidl also hit their cage-free egg goals this year, meaning three of the seven largest supermarkets in the UK have done so.