MEET THE KING OF
GREENWASHING
Marc Stolzman is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Ahold Delhaize USA, the $50B+ retail conglomerate behind Food Lion, Hannaford, Giant, and Stop & Shop. He’s the guy Ahold Delhaize sends when they company is caught breaking promises. The one who tells advocates, “we’re committed,” while the company actively backtracks.
Stolzman talks the talk, but when it comes to ending the cruel confinement of animals in cages, he offers little but excuses.
What’s the deal, Marc?
A farm linked to Ahold Delhaize
Ahold Delhaize once pledged to rid its supply chain of battery cages for egg-laying hens and gestation crates for mother pigs — great! Too bad the company has been dragging its feet on taking real action to make it happen. Under Marc’s leadership, in December 2024 the company recommitted to these policies with later timelines — in other words, kicked the can down the road. Not great.
In April of 2025, the organization Animal Equality investigated what it’s like to be a pig trapped in Ahold Delhaize’s supply chain. How can Marc and his leadership see this footage and still feel that aspirational goals are enough? Animals deserve better.
Is Ahold Delhaize misleading its customers?
A 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.
Let’s take a closer look at Marc’s 2024 policy on caging animals.
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Can you really trust a company to follow through on its commitments if they are riddled with caveats? What stars need to align in order for Ahold Delhaize to take this issue seriously?
Notable mentions include “availability within the supply chain,” “demand among customers,” and “legislation and regulatory compliance with programs like WIC.” Given so much of the egg market has already transitioned to cage-free, these are just excuses the company makes to avoid doing the right thing. -
Ahold Delhaize promised customers back in 2016 that by 2025, all of its eggs would be from more humane, cage-free operations. Despite allowing itself nearly a decade to make progress, the company dragged its feet, and in 2024 announced it would need another 8 years to meet its goal.
Meanwhile, McDonald’s is 100 percent cage-free two years ahead of its own goal, and Costco is nearly 100% cage-free. -
Ahold Delhaize has an abysmal track record, so it’s critical that the company put tangible action plans in place to address animal cruelty.
We are asking the company to set clear timelines to first transition its private label eggs to cage-free and then to reduce the number of inhumane cage eggs it offers on its shelves.
If the company is refusing to be transparent about its plans, how can we trust it will take any action at all?