Open Wing Alliance: Undercover Footage Links Retail Giant to Abusive Supplier in Mexico

The Open Wing Alliance, in partnership with Mercy For Animals, calls on Walmart to enact a global cage-free egg policy and end the use of cruel cages in its supply chain

MEXICO CITY, Mexico, June 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A major global investigation by the Open Wing Alliance (OWA)—in partnership with Mercy For Animals and The Humane League—has revealed graphic and disturbing footage from inside egg farms, including an egg farm operated by Ojai Alimentos, a known supplier to Walmart in México.

This exposé is part of the largest investigation ever conducted into industrial egg farms, spanning 37 countries and led by OWA, a coalition of nearly 100 animal protection organizations across 75 countries.

Despite its vast global footprint, Walmart still has no worldwide cage-free egg policy. It continues to source eggs from facilities that confine hens in barren cages—cramped wire enclosures stacked in rows, where each bird is allotted less space than a sheet of paper and denied the ability to move freely or express natural behaviors.

Not previously made public, the footage from Ojai Alimentos shows:

• Thousands of hens crammed into wire cages, creating a chaotic, relentless din of desperate cries. It's not the gentle clucking of free-roaming hens, but a frantic, discordant noise, driven by stress, overcrowding, and discomfort. It's a sound of life under pressure, stripped of peace or natural rhythm.
• Hens fall into their own feces after escaping their cages and then slowly die when they become trapped in a pool of manure. Birds also slowly die after becoming trapped in cage wire.
• After being stranded in a pool of waste, one of the hens is beaten with a stick and thrown, after which she receives no veterinary attention.
• Next to the farm, lagoons of waste do not receive adequate environmental and sanitary management

"These systems are cruel full stop, and corporations need to take accountability," said Caitlin Campbell, Senior Global Corporate Campaigns Lead. "Walmart must commit to eliminating cages across its global egg supply chain. Consumers don't want eggs from cages and anything less is unacceptable."

Walmart is one of the largest egg purchasers in the world. While the largest global companies are resolutely ditching cages for good, Walmart's global operations continue sourcing from farms that rely on extreme confinement—like this Ojai farm in Mexico.

"In 2025, transparency is non-negotiable. Companies that continue to support the use of cages and animal cruelty are not just falling behind; they're becoming obsolete in the eyes of a new generation of conscious consumers, and more ethical global standards. Walmart must choose: to evolve or to be left behind," Stella Baptiste, Global Campaigns Manager, Mercy for Animals.

While Walmart lags, companies across Latin America have made major strides away from cruel and outdated cage systems. Today, seven of the ten largest egg producers in the region operate cage-free systems, signaling a clear industry shift. Bimbo—the world's largest bread maker and a Latin American giant—was among the first to commit to cage-free sourcing. Other major players like Alsea have followed suit, putting increased pressure on Walmart to catch up to regional standards that prioritize both ethics and transparency

View video footage and still images from inside Ojai Alimentos here. For more information, to view the full investigation, or to take action, please visit RealCostofEggs.com. Learn more about the Open Wing Alliance at www.OpenWingAlliance.org.

About the Open Wing Alliance (OWA)
Founded in 2016 by The Humane League, the Open Wing Alliance is a coalition of nearly 100 animal protection organizations in 75 countries on six continents, trailblazing farm animal welfare in nearly every market globally. Through shared knowledge, resources, and people power, the OWA is united around their goal to end the abuse of chickens worldwide.

About Mercy For Animals (MFA) Mercy For Animals is a leading international nonprofit working to end industrial animal agriculture by constructing a just and sustainable food system. Active in Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico, Southeast Asia, and the United States, the organization has conducted over 100 investigations of factory farms and slaughterhouses, influenced over 500 corporate policies, and helped pass historic legislation to ban cages for farmed animals. Learn more at MercyForAnimals.org.

Media Contact:
Karen Hirsch
1-678-469-8675
[email protected]

SOURCE The Open Wing Alliance