Dollar General said recently that it has updated its initiative laid out in 2016 to transition its in-shell egg supply to 100 percent cage-free by 2025. The retailer cited customer needs and preferences toward a lower-priced option in its need to renounce the goal.
“We are withdrawing our cage-free egg goal and do not believe it is in our customers’ or shareholders’ best interests at this time to establish a new goal,” said Dollar General in a statement.
The issue was first laid out at a shareholder meeting.
“In our 2023 proxy statement we explained that, given the current macroeconomic environment, the state of the egg production industry, and the affordability needs of our customers, who are either unable or unwilling to pay a higher price for cage-free eggs if there is a lower price alternative, it is not reasonably practicable to transition to 100 percent cage-free in-shell eggs by 2025,” said Dollar General in a statement. Following the update, over 63 percent of shareholders voted against the proposal.
The discount grocer indicated hopes that, in time, cage-free in-shell egg prices will decline enough to make it feasible to stock exclusively in-store at parity to the traditional equivalent.
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