Egg Harbor Café Hatches Cage-Free Egg Policy

The Humane Society of the United States applauds restaurant chain for ending its use of eggs from caged hens

Chicago-based Egg Harbor Café has implemented a landmark new policy: the restaurant chain is exclusively using eggs from cage-free hens instead of those confined in battery cages. The Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest animal protection organization, commended Egg Harbor Café for its new policy.

The new policy is effective for all Egg Harbor Café's locations, including Arlington Heights, Barrington, Geneva, Glenview/Northbrook, The Glen, Elmhurst, Hinsdale, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, Naperville, Wheaton and Yorktown.

"Egg Harbor Café's decision to end our use of eggs from caged hens is in line with our commitment to stay on top of important social responsibility issues," said Michael Farrell, owner of the company. "Our new cage-free egg policy is better for our customers and better for hens."

Egg Harbor Café joins a growing number of schools and companies that are moving away from eggs from caged hens. More than 150 schools across the country have enacted policies to eliminate or greatly reduce their use of eggs from caged hens.

"The Humane Society of the United States commends Egg Harbor Café for joining the growing movement away from one of the worst factory farm abuses," said Paul Shapiro, Factory Farming Campaign director for The HSUS.

Facts

• U.S. factory farms confine nearly 300 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. The European Union has banned barren battery cages, effective 2012.
• 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. While cage free hens may not be able to go outside, they are able to walk, spread their wings, and lay their eggs in nests—all behaviors permanently denied to hens confined in battery cages.
• Wolfgang Puck is ending its use of cage eggs. Burger King is beginning to moving away from cage eggs. Major grocery chains such as Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Natural Marketplace have stopped selling cage eggs, while Trader Joe's has done the same with its private line eggs. Bon Appétit, a major food service company, is phasing out the use of cage eggs in all of its 400 cafés, and even companies such as AOL and Google have ended the use of cage eggs in their employee cafeterias. And local municipalities in Maryland, California and Florida have publicly condemned battery cages.

Timeline

• April 2007—Chicago's Swedish Covenant Hospital becomes the nation's first hospital to formally announce an exclusively cage-free egg policy.
• April 2007—Berkeley, Calif., becomes the fourth city to unanimous pass a bill condemning battery cages and encouraging egg consumers not to purchase eggs from caged hens.
• March 2007—Burger King announces that it has started phasing in the use of cage-free eggs.
• March 2007—Wolfgang Puck announces the implementation of a wide-ranging program to improve animal welfare in his supply chain, including not using battery cage eggs.
• September 2006—Ben & Jerry's announces that it will phase out the use of eggs from caged hens in all its ice creams.
• October 2005—Bon Appétit Management Company announces that it is phasing out the use of eggs from caged hens in all of its 400 cafés.
• May 2005—Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Natural Marketplace announce that they have ended sales of eggs from caged hens.
• November 2003—The Better Business Bureau rules that it is misleading to label eggs from battery-caged hens as "Animal Care Certified."

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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization—backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty—on the web at humanesociety.org.