Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. have joined Burger King in beginning to switch to cage-free eggs in their restaurants. Today, The Humane Society of the United States called on Wendy’s to stop lagging behind its competitors on this important animal welfare issue.
Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. have now implemented important new animal welfare policies, including switching two percent of their eggs to cage-free by July 2008. Burger King agreed in March to switch five percent of its eggs to cage-free by the end of 2007.
Unlike Burger King, Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., Wendy’s still uses only eggs from hens confined in tiny battery cages. These abusive cages are so small that birds cannot even spread their wings. Each hen laying eggs for Wendy’s has less space than a sheet of letter-sized paper on which to live for more than a year.
“Wendy’s competitors continue to move away from battery cage cruelty. There’s absolutely no reason that Wendy’s can’t do the same,” stated Paul Shapiro, senior director of The HSUS’ factory farming campaign. “Wendy’s has egg on its face, and it needs to make the same modest improvements that its competition has already made.”
The HSUS, a Wendy’s shareholder, initiated an advertising campaign including print and radio spots that urge Wendy’s to follow its competitors and begin phasing in the use of cage-free eggs.
Since The HSUS began contacting its supporters to urge Wendy’s to move away from its support of this blatant animal cruelty, approximately 40,000 people have contacted the company, urging it to start switching to cage-free eggs.
Facts
- U.S. factory farms confine nearly 280 million hens in barren battery cages that are so small, the birds can’t even spread their wings. Each bird has less space than a single sheet of paper on which to live.
- There is a snowballing national movement against battery cages. Burger King is beginning to use cage-free eggs. Wolfgang Puck is ending his use of cage eggs. Several grocery chains, including Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Natural Marketplace, have stopped selling cage eggs. Companies such as AOL and Google have ended the use of cage eggs in their employee cafeterias.
- While cage-free does not mean cruelty-free, cage-free hens generally have 250-300 percent more space per bird and are able to engage in more of their natural behaviors than are caged hens. Cage free hens may not be able to go outside, but they are able to walk, spread their wings, and lay their eggs in nests—all behaviors permanently denied to hens confined in battery cages.
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