Several of the UK’s leading supermarket chains have come under fire from the animal protection group the RSPCA for failing to ban eggs produced by intensively farmed battery hens.

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Asda, Safeway and Sainsbury were particularly criticised by the RSPCA, while Marks and Spencer, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols were praised by the charity for their free-range produce. Marks and Spencer was singled out as the most free-range friendly because it only sells eggs from non-battery hens. The RSPCA warned that many stores use battery eggs in their ready meals and recipes for cakes and sauces.


The RSPCA wants a ban on all types of cages for egg-laying hens by 2007. A recent survey suggested that nearly 80% of the British public want a ban on battery cages as a priority, reported BBC Online.


Tesco did only marginally better than Asda, Safeway and Sainsbury in the so-called egg leagues, while in the fastfood sector Kentucky Fried Chicken was praised for using free-range eggs in its batter. McDonald’s and Pizza Express both have free-range policies.

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