Plymouth State University Hatches a Cage-Free Egg Policy |
 |
August 28, 2006
WASHINGTON—Today, the nation's largest animal protection organization announced that Plymouth State University will be exclusively using cage-free shell eggs in its student dining facilities, a move that The Humane Society of the United States praised as an important step for animal welfare.
PSU has chosen to completely eliminate the use of shell eggs from caged birds from its dining facilities, effective today. The college uses approximately 450 dozen shell eggs each year.
Chris Mongeon, General Manager of Dining Services for PSU, states, "It's important that PSU's purchasing policies reflect our commitment to sustainability and the local community. Our switch to cage-free eggs is consistent with this commitment and our values."
PSU joins approximately 90 schools that have enacted policies to eliminate or greatly reduce the use of eggs from caged hens, including University of New Hampshire, Dartmouth College, Phillips Exeter Academy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Tufts University.
"PSU's switch away from battery cage eggs is a good move that helps improve animal welfare and furthers the university's commitment to social responsibility," commented Paul Shapiro, Factory Farming Campaign director for The HSUS. "The HSUS encourages other schools to follow PSU's positive example."
PSU joins a growing national movement away from the use of eggs from caged hens. Retailers such as Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Natural Marketplace have eliminated their sales of battery cage eggs, and Trader Joe's has converted all of its brand eggs to cage-free. Food service provider Bon Appétit is phasing out the use of eggs from caged hens in all of its 400 cafés. Even companies such as AOL and Google have ended the use of eggs from caged hens in their employee cafeterias.
In the United States, nearly 300 million hens are confined in barren battery cages that are so small, the birds can't spread their wings or walk, let alone nest, forage, or perch. The cages are stacked one on top of another inside huge warehouses on factory farms. Each bird has less space than a single sheet of paper on which to live, leading to extremely high levels of stress and frustration.
-30-
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization with more than 9.5 million members and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals, disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, marine mammals, animals in research, equine protection and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation, advocacy and field work. The nonprofit organization is based in Washington and has field representatives and offices across the country. On the web at www.hsus.org.
