European Supermarket Magazine reports that the Danish retailer, which stopped selling battery eggs at its Føtex and Salling stores last year, is making the move to improve animal welfare, according to Jeppe Dahl Jeppesen, purchasing director of the Dansk Supermarked Group.

"Better animal welfare is one of the main areas of our procurement strategy. That we, in cooperation with our egg suppliers, have now reached our target by the end of 2017 is an important milestone for us and our customers," said Mr Jeppesen.

The retailer has been aiming to promote the sale of more animal-friendly eggs over the past couple of years. However, it says that it has taken several years to restructure the production process for its egg producers such as Dava Foods, Denmark’s largest egg supplier.

"We follow the wishes of the Dansk Supermarked Group for increased animal welfare and our Danish suppliers of eggs have invested in new production systems with improved animal welfare, which is a great example of the current phasing out of cages in stores," said Ivan Noes Jørgensen, director of Dava Foods.

Animal Welfare

Last year, the retailer also joined forces with the Danish animal welfare group Dyrenes Beskyttelse (Animal Protection) to improve its practices.

"The phasing out of battery eggs from the Dansk Supermarked Group means that more Danish chickens get significantly better animal welfare," said Britta Riis, director of Dyrenes Beskyttelse.

"Animals should not be kept in cages."

The retailer added that it intends to phase out battery eggs used as ingredients in its private label brands by the end of 2019.

"Hidden battery eggs are an ingredient to a lot of food products," said Ms Riis.

"Many consumers do not think about this aspect. Therefore, it is very nice and ambitious that the Dansk Supermarked Group now also expects to phase out the 'hidden’ battery' eggs in food produced and sold under its own brand by 2019."