WASHINGTON – Today, Finagle A Bagel became the nation's first bagel chain to move away from one of factory farming's worst abuses: battery cage confinement of egg-laying hens. The Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest animal protection organization, commends Finagle A Bagel for eliminating its use of eggs from hens confined in abusive battery cages. The company, based in Newton, Mass., has 20 locations throughout the Boston area. It uses eggs on sandwiches, wraps, salads, and in breakfast plates at its restaurants and for its catering operations.

"Finagle A Bagel is proud to partner with Pete & Gerry's to provide only cage-free eggs to our guests. This furthers our commitment to provide the best quality products for our guests and our community," said Laura B. Trust, owner and co-president of Finagle A Bagel.

The company joins a growing number of schools and companies that are moving away from eggs from caged hens. Massachusetts schools including Tufts, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lesley University, Emmanuel College and Clark University join more than 100 others across the country in enacting policies to eliminate or greatly reduce their use of eggs from caged hens.

Even companies such as AOL and Google have ended the use of cage eggs in their employee cafeterias.

"By moving away from eggs from caged hens, Finagle A Bagel is taking the lead in helping prevent one of the worst factory farm abuses," said Paul Shapiro, Factory Farming Campaign director for The HSUS. "The Humane Society of the United States encourages restaurant chains to follow Finagle A Bagel's socially responsible example."

U.S. factory farms confine nearly 300 million hens in barren, wire battery cages that are so small, the birds can't perform many important behaviors, including nesting, foraging, perching, dust bathing, walking, and spreading their wings. Each bird has less space than a single sheet of paper on which to live, leading to a lifetime of suffering.

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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization with nearly 10 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.