Aaron Ross
Denny's, as well as Mondeléz International and Norwegian Cruise Lines, all agree to stop caging egg-laying hens.
The Humane League's first major victories of 2016 are here! After meeting with our corporate outreach team and representatives from other animal protection groups, the family restaurant chain Denny's has announced a timeline for completely eliminating the use of cages from its egg supply chain. The chain, which began sourcing some of its eggs from cage-free sources in 2008, is now set to complete its transition by 2026—a move that will impact over 1,544,000 hens.
Denny's plans to go cage-free
An announcement like this—from a restaurant chain known for its "Grand Slam," stuffed omelettes, and other egg-focused dishes that are served in its nearly 1,600 locations across the US—is a strong indicator of the changes that are coming to the food industry. As we've coordinated grassroots campaigns over the last ten years, we've heard countless consumers' complaints about the ways in which farmed animals are treated. This new timeline from Denny's shows that restaurants are hearing these concerns as well.
Mondelēz International plans to go cage-free
Also, following a relentless three week campaign by The Humane League in the US and México—along with The Albert Schweitzer Foundation in Germany—Mondelēz International, a $36 billion confectionery, food, and beverage conglomerate operating in over 80 countries, has announced its own timelines for eliminating cages by 2020 in the US and Canada and 2025 throughout Europe. It is also exploring timelines for the remaining regions.
Together we drew international support for a multi-country petition that garnered over 60,000 signatures; our online activist network successfully targeted Mondelez's top brands on Facebook daily; and leafleters distributed literature outside grocers to inspire boycotts of Mondelez's products. All of our past campaign efforts have been successful because of the impassioned involvement of our supporters and this one is no different.
Norwegian Cruise Lines plans to go cage-free
To round out a big week of victories, the World Travel Awards designated "World's Leading Large Ship Cruise Line" Norwegian Cruise Lines this week announced that it has committed to no longer sourcing eggs from hens confined to cages by 2025 for its entire fleet of ships.
Building cage-free momentum
Denny's, Mondelēz, and Norwegian have joined Wendy's and Quiznos on what promises to be a long list of commitments made in 2016. Each new policy signals to egg suppliers that confining egg-laying hens to battery cages is an outdated practice that is clearly out-of-step with trends in consumer demand.
Let's keep the momentum going. ConAgra Foods lags behind its major competitors—General Mills, Unilever, Kelloggs, Nestlé, and Mondelēz International, which have already announced commitments—and refuses to eliminate cages from its egg supply chain. Animals deserve better.
