Consumer-driven claim on cage-free eggs outdated

During the first four months of 2016, there was a barrage of corporate announcements where the companies were revealing their plans to transition into selling and serving only cage-free eggs. However, in early April when Walmart and Sams Club – which sells more than one quarter of the groceries purchased in the U.S. -- announced a move to selling only cage-free eggs, the animal rights groups responsible for the push to end the use of cage-raised eggs seemingly considered it a victory, and determined the entire egg industry would have to remove all of its cages. And while the cage-free egg transition announcements have slowed down, they have not yet stopped. One of the most commonly used reasons companies have given to date is that consumers are increasingly requesting eggs raised from cage-free operations. That reasoning may have been believable in the spring, but statements like that are quickly losing credibility. Reports continue to surface about how grocers are struggling to sell cage-free eggs in their stores, as consumers are apparently opposed to pay more for them than they are for cage-produced eggs. So how could this really be in response to consumer preferences?