General Mills sets goal to buy only cage-free eggs by 2025

DES MOINES, Iowa — General Mills has set a deadline for its conversion to all cage-free eggs by 2025.

The Minnesota-based company, whose brands include Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Progresso soups and Yoplait yogurt, initially announced its plans to go cage-free in July.

But it updated its animal welfare policy Tuesday to establish the 10-year time frame.

Josh Balk, a spokesman for the Humane Society of the United States, it’s a further sign that major food manufacturers recognize consumers are turning against the idea of confining food animals to cages.

McDonald’s, which buys 2 billion eggs a year, set a goal in September to buy all cage-free eggs in 10 years. Other companies going cage-free include Burger King, Panera Bread, Starbucks and Taco Bell.