• Gradual phase-out of battery cages: Producers would be given a transition period to adapt their facilities from conventional cage systems to cage-free housing (barn, free-range or other higher-welfare systems). The exact timeline and technical standards would be defined during the legislative process.
• Mandatory consumer labeling: Egg cartons and bulk displays would need to indicate whether eggs come from caged or cage-free systems, enabling shoppers to make informed choices and encouraging retailers to differentiate products by welfare standard.
• Animal welfare and public health rationale: Supporters argue that cage systems are associated with poor welfare outcomes (restricted movement, bone weakness, stress) and that improving hen housing can also reduce certain food-safety and antimicrobial-use risks linked to intensive confinement.

The bill has reignited debate over animal welfare in Colombian agriculture. Proponents say it aligns Colombia with regulations already adopted or planned in the European Union and other regions, where cage systems for laying hens are being restricted or banned. Industry stakeholders, however, have raised concerns about the cost of retrofitting or rebuilding housing, the potential impact on egg prices and the need for clear, realistic transition timelines.

Colombia already stands out in the region for corporate transparency on cage-free progress. According to Sinergia Animal’s Cage-Free Tracker 2025, about 73% of evaluated companies with operations in Colombia report verifiable advances toward cage-free sourcing, the highest reporting rate in Latin America. Companies such as Wok, Crepes & Waffles, Juan Valdez, Chef Burger, Subway Colombia, Colo Coffee and Grupo IGA (which operates brands like Andrés Carne de Res, Kokoriko and Helados Mimo’s) are cited as having achieved 100% cage-free egg supply.

At the same time, several multinationals with a presence in Colombia are flagged for not reporting progress or for missing previously announced deadlines, keeping pressure on both government and industry to clarify expectations and timelines.

Peru: corporate transitions and activist pressure

Peru does not yet have a national law mandating a cage-free transition, but the market is moving quickly in that direction through corporate commitments and civil-society campaigns.

Sinergia Animal’s Cage-Free Tracker 2025 shows that all four local Peruvian companies evaluated have already achieved 100% cage-free egg supply. These include:

• Acurio (restaurantes) – 100% cage-free since 2023
• Antigua Casona San Blas (hoteles) – 100% since 2023
• Grupo Arama / Armónica Café (restaurantes) – 100% since 2024
• Hoteles Estelar Perú – 100% since 2024

In addition, regional supermarket chain Franco Supermercados (with stores in Arequipa, Lima and Mollendo) has pledged to sell only cage-free eggs by 2026.

Colombia and Peru illustrate two different pathways toward cage-free production: legislative action in Colombia and corporate commitments, consumer pressure and NGO campaigns in Peru.

Despite these advances, significant gaps remain. The tracker identifies several global brands operating in Peru—such as Starbucks, Dunkin’ Brands, Krispy Kreme, Papa Johns, Yum Brands and Kellanova—that have made global cage-free commitments but have not reported specific, verifiable progress for the Peruvian market.

Animal welfare NGOs are actively campaigning to close these gaps. In July and August 2026, Open Wing Alliance activists staged demonstrations in Lima targeting supermarket chain Vivanda (part of the Supermercados Peruanos S.A. group), urging it to adopt a 100% cage-free egg policy and to publish annual, verifiable progress reports. Campaigners are calling for a transition to predominantly cage-free eggs by 2031, with clear milestones and supplier-level disclosure.

These actions reflect a broader strategy in Latin America: using public campaigns, investor engagement and consumer outreach to push retailers and foodservice companies to honor or accelerate their cage-free pledges, even in the absence of binding national legislation.

Regional context: Latin America’s cage-free momentum

Colombia and Peru are part of a wider Latin American shift toward cage-free egg production. The 2025 Cage-Free Tracker, which covers Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay, found that:

• 48 companies (32.4% of those evaluated) across the six countries have achieved 100% cage-free egg supply, up from 43 companies in the previous measurement.
• Less than half of companies that have publicly committed to going cage-free have so far reached full implementation, highlighting a gap between pledges and delivery.
• Colombia leads in transparency, with 73% of evaluated companies reporting verifiable progress, while Chile shows strong implementation rates, with around half of companies reporting measurable advances.

This regional movement is occurring alongside global developments. In the European Union, for example, the Commission has indicated plans to propose, by the end of 2026, a targeted revision of animal welfare rules for laying hens that would focus on a gradual phase-out of cage keeping and equivalent import requirements. Such signals from major markets reinforce the business case for cage-free transitions in export-oriented supply chains and in countries with strong trade links to Europe and North America.

Implications for producers, retailers and consumers

For egg producers in Colombia and Peru, the direction of travel is clear: cage systems are increasingly seen as outdated from a welfare, market access and reputational perspective. However, the transition requires significant capital investment in new housing, changes in flock management and, in some cases, adjustments in productivity and mortality profiles. Clear, stable policy frameworks and realistic timelines are critical to avoid market disruption and to allow smaller producers to adapt.

For retailers and foodservice companies, cage-free commitments are becoming a baseline expectation among a segment of consumers, investors and NGOs. Companies that fail to report progress or that quietly extend deadlines risk reputational damage and activist campaigns, as seen with Vivanda in Peru and various multinationals in Colombia.

For consumers, mandatory labeling—if adopted in Colombia—would make it easier to distinguish between caged and cage-free eggs and to align purchases with personal values on animal welfare. In Peru, where labeling is not yet mandated, consumer awareness campaigns and NGO materials are playing a similar role by highlighting which brands and outlets are truly cage-free.

The transition is no longer driven by animal-welfare legislation alone. Retail sourcing policies, corporate commitments, consumer expectations and access to international markets are increasingly influencing how laying-hen systems evolve.

Outlook

Colombia’s “Gallinas Libres de Jaulas” bill and Peru’s rapidly advancing corporate transitions together signal that cage-free egg production is moving from niche to mainstream in parts of Latin America. If the Colombian bill advances, the country could join a small but growing group of nations with legal frameworks explicitly phasing out battery cages for laying hens. In Peru, continued pressure on supermarkets and multinational brands is likely to accelerate the pace of change even without immediate legislation.

The key questions now are: how quickly will policy and market mechanisms converge to create clear, enforceable timelines; how will costs and benefits be shared along the supply chain; and whether Colombia and Peru can turn their current momentum into durable, region-leading models for higher-welfare egg production.

Source / references

Colombia’s “Gallinas Libres de Jaulas” bill, labeling proposal and animal welfare rationale; Sinergia Animal Cage-Free Tracker 2025 findings for Latin America, including 100% cage-free companies and reporting rates in Colombia and Peru; campaigns targeting Peruvian supermarket Vivanda and corporate commitments by Franco Supermercados; EU Commission indication of planned revision of laying hen welfare rules and gradual cage phase-out by end-2026.