FRANS MULLER:
Address animal cruelty at Ahold Delhaize!
Who is Frans Muller?
Frans is a career executive with decades of experience. He was a senior executive with Metro AG and KLM Cargo and has held various board positions, including with the Dutch Central Bank (DNB), Vlerick Business School, and the Consumer Goods Forum. Most importantly, in 2018, Frans became the CEO and president of Ahold Delhaize — parent company to Food Lion, Giant, Stop & Shop, and other major grocery retailers.
Frans’s time with Ahold Delhaize makes clear he is lacking one key area: corporate responsibility.
What’s the problem?
Under Frans’s leadership, Ahold Delhaize is neglecting a serious animal cruelty issue. The company is falling behind the food industry by continuing to sell eggs from caged hens.
In the U.S., Ahold Delhaize sources the vast majority of its eggs from controversial battery cage facilities where chickens are confined in cages so small that they can barely move. This practice is so unsafe and inhumane that it is illegal in many U.S. states and the entire European Union, including in the Netherlands, Ahold Delhaize’s own home country.
It appears Ahold Delhaize has no intention of meeting its 2016 commitment to be 100 percent cage-free by 2025. Even worse, the company’s cage-free egg sourcing increased by only 1 percent from 2022-2023. Quite simply, Ahold Delhaize is misleading its customers by breaking its promise to improve animal welfare.
By comparison, U.S. fast food chains such as McDonald’s and Taco Bell have eliminated battery cage eggs from their menus, and retail giant Costco is nearly 100 percent cage-free. Even dollar stores are installing signs on their egg shelves to educate customers and help shift the market toward cage-free eggs.
Is Ahold Delhaize misleading its customers? A recent survey of Ahold Delhaize customers found that 85 percent opposed caged hen housing, preferring that hens be kept in open barns. The survey also found that the company’s labeling is misleading to a significant portion of its customers, who incorrectly believe eggs with certain labels at Ahold Delhaize stores are cage-free. This confusion and potential mistrust put the company’s brand reputation at risk.
It’s clear Ahold Delhaize’s customers expect the company to transition to 100 percent cage-free — and that their loyalty depends on the company sticking to its word.
