Seven in 10 Brits unaware eggs served in restaurants could come from hens farmed to standards banned in UK

New research by RSPCA Assured has revealed that a shocking 72%¹ 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. 

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.

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

The research, carried out by YouGov, revealed that over four in five people check egg labels every time they shop to see how they were produced, but only a dismal 4% of people always ask food venues where their food comes from.²

Further findings from the research showed:

• 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 eggs³.

Kelly Grellier, Chief Commercial Officer at RSPCA Assured, says: “It’s really shocking that as a nation of animal lovers we diligently check where our eggs come from in supermarkets, but we are happy to leave these concerns at the door the moment we walk into a restaurant or a café.

“With our current system, we’re eating in the dark and possibly consuming low-welfare imported animal products that we would never normally choose.

“The 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."

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 production unit, 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 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 annually⁴.

Kelly continues: “The UK has a strong history of informed choice, built through years of clear labelling in retail, but this is completely lost when people eat out, which makes no sense. 

“It’s so important we change our out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach and make informed choices wherever we eat. Clearer menu labelling would be a great help for people wanting to make better choices.”

The RSPCA and the NFU are jointly urging the 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.

This Easter, diners can make a huge difference to the lives of farmed animals and support UK higher welfare farmers simply by asking food venues where they source their ingredients from - and choosing businesses that prioritise higher welfare sourcing.

RSPCA Assured is the UK's only farm assurance scheme dedicated solely to animal welfare and completely independent of the food and farming industry. Rigorous assessments are carried out by specially trained, full-time assessors, and every RSPCA Assured labelled product comes from a supply chain certified to the RSPCA's higher welfare standards.

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.

Notes to editors

1. Statistics from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,090 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 13th - 16th March 2026. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

2&3. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2090 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 13th - 16th March 2026. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

4. Quarterly UK egg statistics 2025 

About RSPCA Assured

RSPCA Assured is the RSPCA’s ethical food label and farmed animal welfare assurance scheme.

Our expert assessors check more than 4,000 farms and businesses – so when you see the RSPCA Assured label on food packaging and menus, you know the RSPCA’s strict animal welfare standards have been met.

Both indoor and outdoor farms – including free-range and organic – can be RSPCA Assured members, as long as the RSPCA’s strict welfare standards are met. Cages aren’t allowed – ever.

About 64 million animals are covered by the RSPCA’s welfare standards*.

RSPCA Assured is proudly independent and is a not-for-profit charity. All income is reinvested back into the scheme to cover running costs and bring about welfare improvements, and not taken as profit.

We receive no government or public funding. Farms and businesses pay a membership fee, which covers the cost of carrying out assessments. We also charge companies a licence fee to use the RSPCA Assured label.

RSPCA Assured do not own or run any farms. We only carry out assessments at our members’ farms and businesses to ensure the RSPCA’s farmed animal welfare standards are being met.

How to support RSPCA Assured

If you choose to eat meat, fish, eggs and dairy, you’re supporting higher farmed animal welfare every time you buy RSPCA Assured labelled food.

*Stats taken from RSPCA Assured’s Impact Report 2025