Eggs from Caged Birds Not on Shelves at New Pioneer Co-op

Today, The Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest animal protection organization, commended Iowa's New Pioneer Co-op for formally implementing a policy against selling eggs from caged hens. New Pioneer Co-op has locations in Iowa City and Coralville.

In addition to offering a wide variety of vegetarian options, New Pioneer Co-op's exclusive cage-free egg policy is helping to move the egg industry in the right direction: away from confinement of egg-laying hens in battery cages.

Theresa Carbrey, Education Coordinator for New Pioneer Co-op, stated, "Our cage-free egg policy furthers our commitment to animal welfare and sustainability in our supply chain."

Paul Shapiro, Factory Farming Campaign director for The HSUS, commented, "The Humane Society of the United States commends New Pioneer Co-op for helping prevent one of the worst factory farm abuses. It is cruel and inhumane to confine hens in cages so small, the animals can't even walk or spread their wings. We encourage other retailers to follow its example."

Locally, the University of Iowa and Grinnell College have enacted cage-free egg policies on their campuses. They are purchasing eggs from a cage-free egg farm in Kalona, Iowa.

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 better lives than birds confined in battery cages. While caging is not the only animal welfare problem in the egg industry, it is a significant cause of laying hen suffering. Cage-free hens have approximately 250-300 percent more space per bird and are able to engage in more of their natural behaviors than are caged hens.
• There is a snowballing national movement against battery cages. Wolfgang Puck is ending his use of cage eggs. Burger King is beginning to use cage-free 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. And local municipalities in Maryland, California and Florida have condemned battery cage confinement.
• More than 150 schools across the country—including University of Iowa, Grinnell College, University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin-Madison—have enacted policies to eliminate or greatly reduce their use of eggs from caged hens.

Timeline

• 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.
• April 2007—Food service provider Chartwells announces that it is phasing in the exclusive use of cage-free shell eggs for 45 of the schools it serves.
• March 2007—Burger King announces that it has started phasing in the use of cage-free eggs in its North American locations.
• March 2007—Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck announces that he will no longer use eggs from caged hens.
• October 2006—University of Iowa students vote to make the school's cage-free egg policy permanent on campus.
• September 2006—Ben & Jerry's announces that it will phase out the use of eggs from caged hens in all its ice creams.
• May 2006—Google implements an exclusively cage-free egg policy for its employee dining facilities.
• 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.
• September 2005—Iowa's Grinnell College enacts a cage-free egg policy on campus.
• 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 www.humanesociety.org.