DEERFIELD, Ill. – Mondelez International announced it will fully transition to using cage-free eggs in the United States and Canada by 2020 and in Europe by 2025.

“With the ambition of being the global leader in well-being snacks, we’re making great strides in ensuring sustainable and responsible production of our products and sourcing of our ingredients,” said Jonathan Horrell, director of sustainability. “Meaningful commitments such as these take time, in both planning and implementation, but we’re very pleased to announce this major step forward in our cage-free sourcing.

“We ultimately want all eggs to be produced cage-free, and we’ll continue to advance conversations with suppliers to establish timelines for cage-free production in other regions, when we have evidence that commercially viable supplies are available,” Horrell said. Mondelez currently uses 100% cage-free eggs in all of its European chocolate brands as well as in its biscuit products sold in Belgium and the Netherlands.

“We applaud Mondelez International for their continued partnership and progress in switching to cage-free eggs in North America and Europe,” said Josh Balk, senior director of food policy for the U.S. Humane Society. “This is a tremendous step forward for a global company, and it will make a meaningful difference for animals.”