Seven in ten Brits unaware restaurants could serve eggs from hens kept in battery cages

Credit: RSPCA

The majority of Brits don’t know UK restaurants, pubs and cafes may be serving imported, lower-welfare eggs from hens reared in conditions that have been illegal in British farming for more than a decade.

As concerns around the sourcing of imported eggs grow, RSPCA Assured has shared research revealing that 72% of people are unaware that some cafés, restaurants, and food manufacturers in the UK use imported eggs from hens kept in lower-welfare conditions, such as battery cages, which are banned in UK food production.

While conventional battery cages were banned more than a decade ago in the UK (2012), food venues – from high street cafes to gastropubs – are still legally permitted to use imported eggs from hens kept in these cages with barely any space to move and little or no enrichment.

The research, commissioned by RSPCA Assured and carried out by YouGov, revealed a major gap between the information people expect about the eggs they eat at home and the information available when they eat out.

Critically, there is no requirement for food venues to tell customers where eggs used as ingredients are sourced from or how they are produced.

The research also found:

• More than four in five people check egg labels every time they shop to see how they were produced, compared to just 4% of people who always ask food venues where their food comes from.
• Eight in 10 people believe that food venues should be required to tell customers where the animal products they use come from
• 72% of people say they would be unlikely to continue eating at a food venue if they knew it was serving imported lower-welfare eggs.

Toby Baker, executive director at RSPCA Assured, said: “The recent salmonella outbreak and possible link to imported eggs is deeply concerning. Our thoughts are with everyone affected. This outbreak also brings into focus a separate issue that our research has highlighted – people have very little information about where the eggs they are served when eating out come from or how the hens that laid them were reared.

“The UK has a strong history of clear egg labelling in supermarkets, giving shoppers an informed choice when it comes to eggs – but this is completely lost when we eat out. Under the current system, we’re eating in the dark, potentially consuming lower-welfare imported animal products we would never choose ourselves.”

In the UK, all shell eggs sold in supermarkets (Class A eggs) must be stamped with a code showing how they were produced, the country of origin, and the farm, making it easy for shoppers to identify higher welfare eggs. However, these transparency rules become blurred in food service and catering, as there is no requirement for them to share origin or production information with their customers.

According to UK Government figures, the UK imports significant volumes of eggs and egg products each year, including shell eggs and processed eggs, which are widely used in food manufacturing and catering. In 2025, the UK imported up to 264 million shell eggs in a single month and more than 1.3 billion eggs equivalent in egg products annually.

“Our stats speak for themselves; people have no idea this is happening, and the vast majority would choose to eat elsewhere if they knew a restaurant or cafe was using eggs from hens kept in battery cages,” Toby added.

The RSPCA is urging the UK Government to embed core animal welfare standards into policy and trade negotiations, ensuring any EU–UK SPS agreement does not lead to the outsourcing of UK egg and pig production abroad.

This matters not just for animal welfare and farmers, but for schemes like RSPCA Assured, which already works with around 80% of UK egg producers and 25% of pig producers committed to higher welfare standards. It also matters for consumers, who we know want better for the animals reared for food.

RSPCA Assured says businesses can help people make informed choices about animal welfare and make a significant difference to the lives of hens by choosing higher-welfare eggs.

RSPCA Assured labelled eggs are always higher welfare, whether hens are reared indoors or outdoors, and cages are never allowed. Every hen on an RSPCA Assured farm benefits from higher welfare standards, including:

• Pecking objects & enrichment (footballs, straw bales) — encouraging natural foraging and keeping birds active
• Dustbathing opportunities — essential for removing parasites, conditioning feathers and regulating body temperature
• Raised perches — allowing hens to roost safely with their flock, just as they would in the wild
• Trees & bushes on the range (free-range only) — providing shelter from bad weather and protection from predators

If you choose to eat eggs, look for the RSPCA Assured label in shops and visit the RSPCA Assured website to find a list of food venues that are already leading the way for higher welfare.