Eating out this Easter? The hidden truth about restaurant eggs

But there’s something you might not realise when you sit down to eat.

While conventional battery cages have been banned in the UK since 2012, restaurants, cafés and pubs are still legally allowed to use imported eggs from hens kept in these conditions.

In conventional cages, hens have very little space to move, can’t perform natural behaviours like stretching, perching or dustbathing, and have little or no enrichment.

And when you’re eating out, in most cases, you wouldn’t know.

Where do eggs in restaurants come from?

When we shop in supermarkets, we’re used to checking labels. In fact, our research shows that more than four in five people check egg labels every time they shop to see how they were produced*.

But when we eat out, that transparency disappears.

There’s currently no requirement for food venues to tell customers where their eggs come from or how they were produced.

That means eggs used in meals – whether in cakes, sauces or breakfasts – could come from systems that have been illegal in the UK for more than a decade.

It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that most people don’t know this is happening.

Research carried out by YouGov for RSPCA Assured found that 72% of people were 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.*

Why egg welfare standards matter when you’re eating out

What’s striking is the gap between what people care about and what happens in practice:

• Eight in 10 people believe food venues should be required to tell customers where the animal products they use come from
• 72% say they would be unlikely to continue eating at a food venue if they knew it was serving imported, lower-welfare eggs
• Yet only 4% of people always ask food venues where their food comes from.*

This creates an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ situation – where we may be unknowingly supporting systems we would never accept in our weekly shop.

Imported eggs and UK animal welfare standards

The UK has made real progress on farmed animal welfare, including banning conventional battery cages and improving standards across the industry.

But those standards don’t automatically apply to imported eggs used in food service.

At the same time, the UK imports large volumes of eggs and egg products each year, many of which are used in catering and manufacturing.

Without clear messages on menus, it’s difficult for consumers to make informed choices when eating out.

But if we care about animal welfare – and the research suggests we do – then those values shouldn’t stop at the supermarket shelf.

What higher welfare eggs look like

When you choose RSPCA Assured-labelled eggs, you’re supporting farms where cages are never used.

Instead, hens benefit from higher welfare standards, including:

• Pecking objects such as footballs and straw bales to encourage natural behaviours
• Opportunities to dustbathe to help keep their skin and feathers in good condition
• Raised perches for resting
• Shade and shelter in free-range systems.

These measures help ensure hens can behave more naturally and live in more comfortable conditions.

A simple question can make a difference

The good news is that change doesn’t have to be complicated.

If you’re eating out this Easter – or any time of year – one simple question can help drive better welfare: ‘Where do your eggs come from?’

By choosing restaurants, cafés and pubs that prioritise higher welfare sourcing, and by asking questions where information isn’t clear, you’re helping to:

• Support UK farmers who are committed to higher welfare
• Encourage greater transparency in the food system
• And most importantly, you help improve the lives of farmed animals.

Make it count

Choosing higher-welfare food doesn’t stop at the supermarket.

When you buy RSPCA Assured-labelled products, you’re already supporting better welfare. But you can help go even further by speaking up when you eat out.

You can also ask supermarkets, restaurants and recipe box companies to stock more RSPCA Assured-labelled products via our Ask your supermarket page.

Together, these small actions help drive demand for higher-welfare food – and create change across the whole food system.

So this Easter, it’s worth taking a moment to think not just about what’s on your plate – but also where it’s come from.