Michael Windsor
More and more companies are going cage-free thanks to informed consumers speaking up and responsible corporate citizens taking action.
In 2010, almost all of the 300 million egg-laying hens in the US were forced to live their lives in cramped, filthy cages, crowded against several other birds, and unable to do anything natural. But now that’s changing. Consumers have spoken out against this cruelty, and hundreds of major food companies have committed to step up their standards for animal care.
Since 2007, the shift to cage-free housing has been massive. As of December 2022, 106 million hens in egg farms across the country will never have to face life in a miserable cage. The cage-free flock has increased by 96 million hens since the end of 2007. The USDA has reported growth in the size of the cage-free hen flock every year for the past five years. If this trend continues, soon the majority of egg-laying hens will be cage-free.
Problems with battery cages
Most people have seen labels for cage-free eggs, but not everyone knows what the alternative to cage-free housing is actually like. In farms that use battery cages, six-to-ten chickens are packed into a cage about the size of a filing cabinet drawer. The cages aren't large enough for the chickens to stand up fully or spread their wings. Each chicken has less space than the area of a sheet of paper to herself. Chickens naturally want to perch, dust-bathe, forage, stretch, and walk, but caged chickens can't do any of these things. They like to form nests in private spaces where they can feel safe laying their eggs, but there is no privacy or even any nesting material inside a battery cage.
Being cramped together like this with no personal space, no privacy, and no way to behave naturally causes extreme psychological stress. Aggravated cage-mates peck at other birds, plucking out each other's sensitive feathers. There's nowhere to go to escape from aggressive neighbors. The cages are made of metal wire, which can cut into the chickens' feet, catch and pull out their feathers, or even trap their heads as they lean through the front of the cage to eat. Trapped birds go unnoticed in these massive factory farms, and slowly die of thirst. Eager for more space to spread out, chickens may stand on the desiccating corpses of other birds. Rows of cages are stacked on top of each other several layers high, so when a chicken in an upper cage defecates, it can fall onto the birds below.
The use of battery cages is a cruel and disgusting practice. This is why consumers have urged the largest food companies in the country to move to cage-free housing.
Corporations are sticking to their word
Thanks to this consumer demand, over 500 companies in the US—and nearly 2,500 companies globally—have agreed that transitioning to 100% cage-free eggs is the right thing to do. But a public statement alone isn't enough to stop this cruelty. It's vital that these companies follow through on their commitments. Thankfully, the majority of companies are keeping their word and making progress toward a more ethical food supply chain.
Many companies across the food industry—including Four Seasons, Barilla, Taco Bell, Shake Shack, and Whole Foods—have already gone 100% cage-free. And the largest companies in the industry, all of which have vast and complex supply chains, are reporting substantial progress on their commitments, proving that this change is possible for companies of any size. These companies include McDonald's, Sodexo, Aramark, Marriott, General Mills, Subway, and Darden.
From corporate policy to law
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports from food companies aren't the only place where consumers have fought for the inclusion of cage-free policies. So far, ten states have adopted regulations that will ban the cruel practice of caging egg-laying hens, and seven have also banned the sale of eggs from hens in battery cages regardless of where they were produced
As more and more states continue to enact bans on cages, even the companies that have refused to listen to consumers will need to catch up to the rest of the food industry—or else face the consequences.
The Cage Age is coming to an end
The Humane League has long advocated to abolish the cruel and outdated practice of caging egg-laying hens. But the end of the cage age is coming about not just as a result of the efforts of animal advocates, but from informed consumers speaking up, and responsible corporate citizens taking action. It is vital that we all continue to hold the egg industry accountable, so that our dream of a cage-free future becomes reality.
