Wal-Mart, the largest grocer in the United States with control of a quarter of the market, said it would require that egg suppliers adopt an industry standard for treatment of hens by 2025 and have their compliance monitored by a third party. The new guidelines will apply to the discount retailer's more than 5,000 stores in the United States, including its Sam's Club warehouse chain. Wal-Mart had flagged that it planned to switch to cage-free eggs in May when it announced that it would push its suppliers to adhere to the "five principles" of animal welfare, a set of guidelines that includes ensuring animals are not starved, have sufficient space to move, and do not suffer mental distress. Tuesday's announcement makes Wal-Mart the latest retailer to put a firm timetable on the change, joining the likes of McDonald's Corp
egg - Mart has announced that it will require all its egg manufacturers to adopt an industry standard , monitored by a third agency , for the treatment of hens by 2025 . The company had previously announced that it would be using only cage - free eggs from May. Wal - Mart is the largest grocery company in the US and controls over a quarter of the market . McDonald ’s and Burger King have already committed to adopting cage - free eggs by 2025 and 2017 respectively . The ##erated foods stated that " This announcement will likely benefit more animals than any other corporate announcement in the history of the animal welfare industry . "