Countdown goes cage free

Countdown has announced a plan to sell only cage-free eggs by the end of 2024 in the North Island and by the end of 2025 across the rest of the country. The move extends the supermarket giant’s earlier commitment to transition to free range and barn only in its own-brand eggs by the end of 2022. Countdown has come under intense pressure from lobby groups such as Safe to stop selling caged eggs. Countdown said it had been working with egg suppliers for the past two years to increase the supply of free range and barn eggs in New Zealand. Countdown’s general manager of corporate affairs, James Walker, said the company was confident it had secured enough future volume from its egg producer partners.