That’s the title of a new research report I co-authored with Vincenzina Caputo and Aaron Staples at Michigan State University and Glynn Tonsor at Kansas State University. The research was funded both by egg producers, represented by the United Egg Producers (EUP) and the United Egg Association, and by food retailers, represented by the Food Industry Association Foundation (FMI Foundation).
Here is some motivation for the study:
“State regulations, retailer pledges, and final consumer demand have contributed to a rising share of egg-laying hens housed in cage-free systems over the past decade. Nonetheless, conversion from conventional to cage-free housing is costly for both egg producers and final consumers. As such, there remains uncertainty about the extent to which egg producers will be willing and able to continue the transition to cage-free housing at a rate commensurate with retailers’ cage-free pledges. To explore this issue, this study investigates the challenges and opportunities associated with the transition to cage-free housing, including interviews with and a survey of egg producers, a survey of egg consumers, and economic modeling of the sector”
There is a lot in the nearly 100-page report, but a two-page summary document is here. Highlights are below.
