As Loblaws publishes their annual report that effectively backtracks on the grocery giant’s long-standing cage-free egg commitment, BlogTO reported that the Weston family—owners of Loblaws—is now richer than the king. This stark contrast highlights a disturbing trend: immense corporate wealth built at the expense of animal welfare.
Since announcing an extension to their 2025 cage-free deadline four years ago, Loblaws has claimed they remain “committed to transitioning to 100% cage-free eggs as soon as practically possible.” But their latest Environmental, Social, and Governance Report tells a different story.
Loblaws has been at the centre of the cage controversy for years. Instead of honouring their own policy, Loblaws will sell eggs from “enriched” cages for one of their own brands. This move is a significant step backward for a company with a decade-old cage-free policy. Canada’s egg industry is already making the mistake of investing in so-called “enriched” cages. Only marginally larger than conventional cages, these cages still inflict extreme cruelty on egg-laying hens. Birds are confined in filthy conditions, cramped in stacked wire cages, each with barely more space than a sheet of paper. Nowhere in the world is any cage system considered part of a meaningful corporate animal welfare commitment.
Companies adopt cage-free policies precisely because of overwhelming public opposition to cages, and welfare science confirming their inherent cruelty. Meanwhile, Loblaws now claims that allowing “enriched” cages is part of their “accelerated transition plan” while reporting lower cage-free egg sales than last year.
Loblaws Joins Big Ag PR Front Group
Loblaws’ sustainability team hasn’t always managed this issue so poorly. Back in 2022, the company worked collaboratively with animal protection organizations to draft annual benchmarks for phasing out cages. They were nearing the finish line when Loblaws formed an internal working group to complete the plan. But following countless delays and a refusal to admit independent scientists into their group, we saw mounting public pressure.
How the company responded has been telling. Loblaws joined a PR front group for Big Ag. The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) is a US group known for helping companies put a positive spin on animal welfare backtracking and other work to undermine the public interest. Their Canadian counterpart, CCFI, is following the same playbook by recruiting Loblaws as their latest retail member. To increase public trust following multiple controversies and reports of record profits, Loblaws’ strategy seems to be investing in their image rather than improving actual practices.
While Loblaws and other grocery stores adopt front group talking points to claim they’re doing less for animals to help Canadians facing an affordability crisis, let’s not forget our grocery industry royalty getting rich on the backs of caged hens, while Canadians are still left to struggle to afford food without compromising their values.
Help us continue to hold Loblaws accountable.
Banner: Andrew Skowron | We Animals
