Ebro’s Panzani makes cage-free egg pledge

French pasta maker Panzani, part of Spain-based Ebro Foods, has set out plans to use only cage-free eggs by 2025.

Panzani announced the pledge after becoming linked to allegations of animal abuse at a French egg farm.

Animal-welfare campaign group L214 claimed a farm in Vendée run by Les Oeufs Geslin had mistreated hens and housed them in cages. The campaigners called on Panzani to commit to no longer use eggs from caged hens.

In a statement, Panzani said it had a “goal” of only using cage-free eggs in its products by 2025.

Panzani said it “shares consumers’ indignation at the unsustainable images”. However, the company said Geslin has “several farms” and it had not been supplied by the farm in Vendée. Nevertheless, Panzani has suspended supplies from Geslin pending an audit of its operations.

A spokesperson for L214 said Panzani’s pledge “will help to improve the breeding conditions of a large number of chickens”.

The spokesperson added: “Awareness of ethical issues related to animal husbandry has taken the form of a genuine movement of substance throughout the agri-food sector. The disappearance of cage farming reflects the increasing attention of our society towards animals.”