Wendie Malick to Wendy's: Stop Tarnishing my Name

In a letter to Wendy's, actress Wendie Malick expresses her disappointment that her name is being muddied by the company's refusal to move away from one of the worst factory farming abuses.

In a letter released by The Humane Society of the United States, Wendie Malick explains, "For obvious reasons, I've always had a soft spot for other women named Wendy. But recently I've been disappointed to see this great name's reputation tarnished by the most famous Wendy of all (after Peter Pan's girlfriend)."

The actress joins The HSUS in urging Wendy's to follow Burger King, Hardee's and Carl's Jr. and start using cage-free eggs.

She continues, "I don't think it's a stretch to suggest that many other Wendys in our country probably feel the same way I do. On behalf of all those other Wendys and myself, please take some meaningful steps in the right direction and at the very least match Burger King's modest animal welfare improvements."

"Every hen laying eggs for Wendy's breakfast foods is confined in a tiny battery cage where she can't even spread her wings or walk for her entire life," states Paul Shapiro, senior director of The HSUS' factory farming campaign. "Wendy's has egg on its face, and it's an embarrassment to people who share its name."

More than 40,000 HSUS supporters have also asked Wendy's to start using 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.

Timeline

• August 2007—Hardee's and Carl's Jr. begin phasing in the use of cage-free eggs.
• August 2007—Wendy's expands its new breakfast menu to the 500th restaurant.
• August 2007—The HSUS begins running radio and newspaper ads urging Wendy's to start using cage-free eggs.
• July 2007—Wendy's announces some improvements, although it still lags behind Burger King.
• March 2007—Burger King begins 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 is phasing out the use of eggs from caged hens in its ice creams.
• 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."

A copy of Wendie Malick's letter is available at humanesociety.org/malick.

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