March 30, 2007
Cage-Free Makes for Eggcellent Publicity
Burger King announced this week that it will start purchasing two percent of its eggs and 10 percent of its pork products from suppliers that do not confine their animals in cages or crates, according to this article in The New York Times.
Those low percentages may not seem like a big deal, but Burger King says that's just the beginning. Once the cage-free movement, if that's what it is, gathers more steam and those products are easier to find and more affordable, the restaurant chain will presumably buy more cage-free products.
In addition, BK says it will favor suppliers that use something called "controlled-atmospheric stunning" instead of electric shocks to knock out birds before they are slaughtered.
Burger King is not the only company moving to cage-free animal products. Apparently, Smithfield Foods will start phasing out the confinement of pigs in metal crates, but that will take a decade to fully accomplish, according to the New York Times article.
Burger King's move comes a few years after PETA ended their "Murder King" campaign, which was designed to pressure fast food companies into choosing more animal-friendly methods.
Executives for the fast food chain told The New York Times that they made the decision to go cage-free in order to "stay ahead of consumer trends and to encourage farmers to move into more humane egg and meat production."
Here is an interesting article on BK's decision that I found on the Cattle Network Web site.
The cage-free decision comes just as the trans fat-free movement is sweeping across the nation. Will other restaurants now jump on the cage-free bandwagon?
I'm interested in whether Burger King's decision will translate into higher sales figures. Do you consciously make dining decisions based on a restaurant's animal welfare reputation?
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