NEW YORK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is pledging to sell only cage-free eggs by 2025.

The nation’s largest food retailer is joining a growing list of retailers and food makers, from McDonald’s to General Mills, which have made the switch.

Wal-Mart said it will require egg suppliers to be certified and fully compliant with the United Egg Producers Animal Husbandry Guidelines or an equivalent standard.

The cage-free standard will apply to eggs sold at both Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores.

The move comes as the food industry has been pressed by animal rights groups to improve animal welfare practices. The announcement comes almost a year after Wal-Mart urged thousands of U.S. suppliers to curb the use of antibiotics in farm animals.