Supermarket chain faces global backlash over delays on delivering on pledge for animals
Animal Equality launched a campaign in 2025 calling on Ahold Delhaize – owner of Food Lion, Stop & Shop, Giant, and Hannaford – to follow through on its long-standing animal welfare promise to end the use of cages for animals in its supply chain.
Because of its inaction, millions of animals in Ahold Delhaize’s supply chains remain in cramped and especially cruel conditions. While some Ahold Delhaize brands committed to ending this cruelty almost a decade ago, they have failed to report any meaningful progress.
In Europe, stricter laws have forced Ahold Delhaize to improve. Weaker US regulations allow extreme confinement to continue.
As a result, protests have erupted globally, with advocates demanding that Ahold Delhaize end this extreme cage cruelty in its supply chain.
Several advocates have faced aggression, obscenities, and even assault, with death threats issued against Animal Equality’s Vice-President for Europe. Authorities tried to silence demonstrations with unlawful restrictions – one withdrawn and another struck down in court.
See where we’ve protested:
- London, UK
- São Paulo, Brazil
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Berlin, Germany
- Hamburg, Germany
- Holzminden, Germany
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Milan, Italy
- Zaandam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Madrid, Spain
- Chicago, US
- Dallas, US
- New York City, US
- Quincy, US
- Rosemont, US
Update October 2025 – Animal Equality hosted daily actions outside Ahold Delhaize’s headquarters, where a protester was assaulted by an angry employee. Police opened an investigation after a formal complaint was filed. The next day, supporters gathered at Dutch embassies and consulates in six countries. They urged the monarchy to strip Ahold Delhaize of its ‘Royal’ title – a distinction meant to symbolise integrity and leadership.
Update August 2025 – As Ahold Delhaize executives met near Amsterdam to choose a new Chairman, 50 or so advocates gathered outside the hotel to call for an end to cages. Inside the meeting room, Animal Equality shareholders urged executives to answer for the company’s failed animal welfare commitments. Five more advocates entered the hotel with megaphones. Some were attacked by hostile guests.
Update July 2025 – Protesters gathered outside Ahold Delahize’s headquarters with a banner declaring the site a ‘contamination zone’ for cruelty. Speaking to Animal Equality’s Vice-President for Europe, a bystander threatened to return with more people and “kill” protesters. A passerby then threw eggs at demonstrators, splattering nearby buildings.
Update June 2025 – During a month of actions at Ahold Delhaize’s headquarters, protesters were assaulted by two bystanders who threw eggs and water balloons.
Update May 2025 – Animal Equality returned to Ahold Delhaize’s headquarters in Zaandam, in the Netherlands, with banners, signs, and a truck showing footage from its US pig farm investigation. The protest started with the March of the Masks, a silent procession of advocates wearing photos of the Board Members’ faces.
Update April 2025 – Animal Equality staged protests in Zaandam, home to Ahold Delhaize’s global headquarters. Advocates questioned executives during a shareholder meeting and spread the message with a mobile billboard, a mock ‘animal abuse’ award, and a plane flying a banner. That evening, projections lit up the company’s headquarters with calls for action.
That same month Animal Equality released an undercover investigation from a Kansas pig breeding facility linked to Ahold Delhaize. This footage shows pregnant pigs locked in cages, unable to turn around or take more than a single step.
Update December 2024 – Animal Equality began protesting companies that share board members with Ahold Delhaize – including Pandora jewellery, Symrise, Bunzl, and Customs Support Group. These secondary campaigns increase the attention placed on Ahold Delhaize’s Supervisory Board Members, the group responsible for its animal welfare policies.
Animal Equality has launched a campaign against Ahold Delhaize – the global company behind Food Lion, Giant Food, Hannaford, and Stop & Shop. Despite publicly claiming to support the elimination of some of the cruellest animal practices in its supply chain, the company has delayed its goals and failed to report meaningful progress on its existing promises.
In addition to eroding consumer trust, this delay will leave millions of farmed animals in cramped conditions for years to come.
In 2019, the company promised to stop using cages for hens in its US supply chain by 2025. Now, that deadline has been pushed to 2032 and only applies to some egg products.
Progress for pregnant pigs is also slow, with cages set to be eliminated by 2028 – also with some exceptions.
In the European Union, stricter laws have pushed Ahold Delhaize’s brands – like Albert Heijn and Delhaize Belgium – to comply with cage-free standards. They follow EU rules on egg sourcing and restrict cages for pregnant pigs.
In the US, weaker laws allow for exceptionally harmful practices to continue. The company blames delays on supply chain issues and the impact of avian flu on egg production. However, advocates argue that overcrowding and unsanitary conditions within the industry itself are the root causes of avian flu outbreaks.
Ahold Delhaize publicly claims to support animal protection, but their repeated delays and lack of transparency tell a different story. Consumers can no longer trust a company that has had policies for pigs and hens in place for years yet failed to report any real progress. It’s time for them to stop making excuses and take meaningful action.
– Dane Charbeneau, Animal Equality’s Campaigns Manager in the US
Take a stand for pigs and hens
Animal Equality is demanding Ahold Delhaize deliver clear plans to end cages for hens and pregnant pigs. Show your support by signing the petition today:
SIGN THE PETITION
Thank you for taking action for animals. Please take a moment to help us spread the word.
Share this petition
The company behind major U.S. supermarket brands – Food Lion, Giant, Stop & Shop, Hannaford – is allowing animal abuse. Tell Ahold Delhaize that empty promises don’t empty cages. Demand it ends the use of cages for pregnant pigs and hens immediately.
Sign the petition and demand a meaningful commitment to end cages for animals from Ahold Delhaize.
Looking to make an even greater impact? Pigs and hens suffer far beyond the cage, enduring pain for meat and eggs. By choosing plant-based meals, you offer them a life free from suffering. Every choice on your plate tells a story – make yours one of compassion and hope.
protect pigs
Pigs are highly social animals who are often considered smarter than dogs. You can protect these intelligent animals by simply choosing plant-based alternatives.
