NEW YORK —Rite Aid said it is accelerating its switch to selling 100% cage-free eggs, and now expects to hit that goal by the end of this year. The company had initially pledged to source cage-free eggs across all its retail locations by 2025. The new commitment expedites the timeline by three years.

“We commend Rite Aid for expediting its cage-free timeline to reduce the suffering of egg-laying hens in its supply chains,” says Vicky Bond, president of The Humane League. “We’ve seen a trend among socially responsible companies like Rite-Aid to stop sourcing eggs from hens kept in cruel battery cages and to speed up the implementation of their cage-free policies.” Rite Aid’s accelerated commitment follows Walgreens and CVS Health which also recently pledge to sell 100% cage-free eggs by year-end 2022.

Before making this animal welfare policy commitment, Rite Aid consulted with The Humane League, a global animal protection nonprofit with a mission to end the abuse of animals raised for food. The Humane League focuses on changing how the world’s biggest companies treat animals by setting new standards for corporate animal welfare policies. This work has been instrumental in securing many of the more than 500 cage-free pledges made by North American food companies.