• Local Produce
  • Buy Local
  • Local Seafood
  • Local Food
  • Local Music
  • Local Art
  • Local Churches

CAPE CHARLES MIRROR

Reflections on Cape Charles and the Eastern Shore

  • Local Services
  • Local Rentals
  • Local Employment
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Classifieds
  • Pets
  • Contact Us
  • Rant and Rave
  • Asses&Villains

McMuffins going Cage-Free

September 13, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Americans love their Egg McMuffins, which accounts for the two billion shell and liquid eggs the company uses annually (about 4 percent of the 43.56 billion eggs produced in the United States). This week, McDonalds announced that it begin a process that will ultimately lead to them using only cage free eggs, and will be phasing out using eggs produced by hens trapped in battery cages.

Currently less than 10 percent of the nation’s laying hens housed are “cage free” , so it could take McDonald’s up to 10 years to reach its goal of having 100 percent come from hens that are allowed to move freely inside barns.

The company is responding to consumer demand and public pressure for more “humanely” produced eggs. Meeting the price could be dicey as cage free eggs tend to be more expensive. In California, where egg producers were required to provide more space for their birds by the beginning of this year, agricultural economists estimated that prices for eggs would rise 10 to 40 percent. Egg producers there argue, however, that retailers add big markups to cage-free eggs that distort the actual increase in the cost of producing them.

That said, Marion Gross, senior vice president for supply chain management at McDonald’s, said the impact of its decision and similar moves by other major egg users would help bring down the price of cage-free eggs. “We believe over time that, with our scale, we will be able to mitigate cost impact on our system,” she said.

The United Egg Producers support McDonald’s move. “Recognizing that customers place value on having choices in the type of eggs they purchase, hens today are raised by our farmer members using a variety of housing and egg production practices,” Chad Gregory, the organization’s chief executive, said in a statement.

Given the leverage McDonald’s has, it could be influential in a market shift. Aware of how consumers feel about the way agricultural livestock and poultry should be raised have increased, the company is moving toward trends such as antibiotic-free chicken, grass-fed beef and cage-free eggs.

It should be noted that Burger King was one of the first major fast-food chains to pledge to use cage-free eggs, promising to have its supply chain converted by 2017, and companies like Unilever, General Mills and Sara Lee are working to use such eggs exclusively.

Animal welfare advocates have long lobbied McDonald’s to use cage-free eggs, arguing that because of its size, the company could have an enormous effect on the well-being of egg-laying hens, “McDonald’s announcement effectively ends any debate that there may have been over whether cages have a future in the industry,” said Paul Shapiro, vice president for farm animal protection at the Humane Society of the United States.

He said the move would affect about eight million laying hens.

Filed Under: Activism, Animal Activism, Bottom

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Join the Conversation!

Send letters, opinion, goings on or photos to capecharlesmirror@gmail.com

Mirrors

Recent Comments

  • Paul Plante on Asses&Villains: Roe v. Wade Decision
  • Paul Plante on Town of Cape Charles Continues work on Utility Sale
  • Dave Moore on Cape Charles 4th of July 2022 Schedule
  • Bev Misuna on Dog Poop in the Butterfly Garden
  • Bev Misuna on Dog Poop in the Butterfly Garden
  • J Wheaton on Town of Cape Charles Continues work on Utility Sale
  • Virginia Gentleman on Town of Cape Charles Continues work on Utility Sale
  • Paul Plante on Asses&Villains: Roe v. Wade Decision
  • Paul Plante on Asses&Villains: Gun Rights Edition
  • Publius Americanus on Dog Poop in the Butterfly Garden
  • John on Town of Cape Charles Continues work on Utility Sale
  • Lisa Pruitt on Dog Poop in the Butterfly Garden
  • Tom Haskins on Dog Poop in the Butterfly Garden
  • Blue Hoss on Dog Poop in the Butterfly Garden
  • TJ on New Work Completed on Central Park Fountain
  • Paul Plante on Asses&Villains: Gun Rights Edition
  • Kristin on Eastern Shore Coffee Roasters Open Shop in Cape Charles
  • BRAND on Cape Charles Water Quality Report 2022
  • Tom on Town of Cape Charles Continues work on Utility Sale
  • Debbie Lewis on Eastern Shore Coffee Roasters Open Shop in Cape Charles

Trending Now

  • List Of Clinton Associates Who Allegedly Died Mysteriously Or Committed Suicide Before Testimony
  • Eastern Shore Coffee Roasters Open Shop in Cape Charles
  • Town of Cape Charles Continues work on Utility Sale
  • Cape Charles 4th of July 2022 Schedule
  • Did Mary Give Consent to Have the Baby Jesus?
  • IT CAN HAPPEN HERE: "We ARE COMING TO RURAL AMERICA"
  • Dog Poop in the Butterfly Garden
  • Asses&Villains: Roe v. Wade Decision
  • Cape Charles Water Quality Report 2022
  • Asses&Villains: Gun Rights Edition

Copyright © 2022 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in