Hens in a battery cage, making 98% of Wendy's eggs.
by: Jill Richardson / La Vida Locavore / May 24, 2009
McDonalds is going to McStudy whether a switch to a token amount of cage-free eggs is a good idea. I’m apparently not the only one who thinks this is a McStall tactic.
The other day I noted that the US Humane Society was congratulating Wendy’s for switching a mere 2% of their eggs to cage-free. Turns out Wendy’s isn’t alone. Burger King, Hardee’s, Quizno’s, Carl’s Jr. and Denny’s are each going to buy about 5% of their eggs as cage-free. I interpret this as a “shut up and get off my back” move by the fast food chains to placate the Humane Society without getting bad press and protests at their restaurants. It seems that McDonald’s wasn’t even willing to go that far to get HSUS to back off – they’d rather “study the issue” for 2 years first.
In fact, the VP of Corporate Social Responsibility at McDonald’s had the chutzpah to say “I have been to our laying facilities and I am proud of them. The birds are protected well.” Protected by cramming 10 of them into each battery cage, giving each hen less room than a sheet of paper? Oh they are protected all right. In huge, windowless rooms with 100% protection from the elements and from coyotes or any other critter that might want to harm a chicken. You might say that prisoners in maximum security prisons are “protected well” too.
Quite frankly, I’m disappointed that the Humane Society is going to settle for this – any of this. If they care about the chickens so much, don’t they care enough to keep negotiating for more than just a 5% switch?
Let these restaurants know that we can spot hypocrisy when we see it:
- McDonalds
- Wendys
- Hardees
- Dennys
- Burger King: 305-378-3535 (call M-F, 9am-5pm EDT)
- Quiznos
- Carl’s, Jr.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t eat at any of those places but thought that Prop. 2 was supposed to put a stop to factory farming.
Or is that still just in California?
Most corporations have no compassion and no soul. Just increase profit, whatever it takes.
I look at that picture and it makes me feel sick. A corporate executive might look at it and see room to squeeze even more hens into the cage, to increase volumetric efficiency (and to receive a cash bonus).
While I deplore any animal cruelty, and have supported various organizations fighting this serious issue, I have to ask what does this have to do with OB? Are there chicken farms or puppy mills that have secret locations in OB? I’d hate to see the Rag turn into a “People Magazine” for the left.
Jon – that’s right – what da heck does any of these food-related articles have to do with OB. OB has no chicken farms – although it used to – and I can recall living in northeast OB back in the 1970s and hearing roosters! What’s up with that?
OBcians don’t eat chicken, there’s no fast food restaurants in OB, so why run such articles? I’m with you Jon Q. Plus, people in OB don’t shop at Vons, Ralphs or Albertsons.
Please, people, run only articles that have to do with OB. And no foodie articles either.
Jon Q, OB Joe – I’m with you guys. And by the way, what’s with all these gay oriented articles? There’s no gays in OB!
oh, and there are no minorities in OB, which is why we should all ignore the racist spray painting on the apartment building at abbott and santa monica that appeared over the weekend.
I personally don’t mind the added stories and some of the newer bloggers showing up. So long as the majority of the focus is on OB. Which in my opinion, it is. There are currently about 8 stories up that focus on our hometown. But let’s be honest…OB is not that large. I think we would be hard pressed to fill the blog with stories JUST about OB. The old paper rag articles ran stories about Richard Nixon and the Vietnam war. As far as I know, Nixon was not an OBcean and Vietnam is not a San Diego beachtown.
Molly – no gays in OB…lol. Yeah, no meat eaters either. ;)
And Joe – No fast food? We have 2 Subways, a Jack in the Box, and we just got rid of Boll-weevil (I would have considered that a fast food franchise)