Sweden just became the world’s first completely cage-free country for egg-laying hens. Between 2008 and 2025, more than 17 million birds escaped confinement as every major retailer, restaurant chain, and municipality voluntarily eliminated caged eggs from their supply chains.
The last cages went empty in mid-2025, marking the end of a 50-year campaign that succeeded where legislation initially failed. This achievement wasn’t delivered through parliamentary decree, but through sustained activism that transformed Sweden’s food system from the ground up.
How Activists Beat the System
Project 1882 turned corporate boardrooms into battlegrounds for animal welfare.
This wasn’t government heavy-handedness—it was strategic activism. Project 1882, the animal welfare group behind the transformation, spent decades pressuring over 85 retailers and foodservice operators to go cage-free.
When Sweden’s Parliament proposed a cage ban in 1988, industry resistance watered it down to gradual phaseouts. So activists bypassed politicians entirely, targeting supply chains directly. Hemköp became the first retailer to eliminate caged eggs in 2008.
By 2021, ICA, the country’s largest grocery chain, finally joined the movement. The strategy proved that persistent corporate pressure could achieve what legislative battles could not.
Success Built on Quicksand
Voluntary commitments create vulnerability that legal bans would eliminate.
Here’s the catch: Sweden’s cage-free status exists entirely through voluntary corporate pledges. “This is a victory for animals and supporters,” says Benny Andersson, CEO of Project 1882, “but permanent protection requires embedding cage-free status in law to prevent potential backsliding.”
Without legislation, companies could theoretically reverse their commitments during economic downturns or leadership changes. The achievement resembles a house built on goodwill rather than solid foundation—impressive, but potentially fragile.
Blueprint for Europe
Sweden’s model now fuels continent-wide cage elimination efforts.
Project 1882 is channeling their success into the European Citizens’ Initiative “End the Cage Age,” which advocates for EU-wide cage farming bans. Sweden’s transformation proves that sustained corporate pressure can outpace legislative timelines—retailers moved faster than politicians ever would.
For culinary travelers, Sweden now offers something unique: a food system where animal welfare isn’t just marketing copy, but verified reality. Every Swedish omelet, pastry, and pasta dish now comes with a guarantee that no hen suffered in a cage to create it.
