Jennie Hunter
In a heartening win for chickens, Pokeworks—the world’s leading fast-casual poke brand—has committed to source 100% of its eggs from cage-free facilities.
Thanks to the steadfast efforts of animal activists worldwide, the Open Wing Alliance (OWA) has secured a comprehensive global animal welfare policy from Pokeworks—representing a victory for intelligent, sensitive hens around the world.
The win comes at a critical moment of expansion, as Pokeworks readies itself to open 20 new locations by the end of the year. The cage-free policy will apply to all shell, liquid, and egg products and will cover the company’s global operations for all owned, managed, and franchised properties.
“This commitment by Pokeworks to remove battery cages from their supply chain will meaningfully reduce the suffering of the hens raised to lay eggs for its restaurants increasing around the world,” says Hannah Surowinski, Global Corporate Relations Coordinator of The Open Wing Alliance. “With more and more companies taking steps in the right direction towards improving animal welfare, it’s clear that cage-free is becoming the new standard of the global food industry.”
Creating a more compassionate future—together
The exciting commitment comes after a 45-day campaign by members of the Open Wing Alliance, a global coalition of over 80 animal protection groups across 63 countries. Changemakers around the world joined the effort by taking hundreds of thousands of digital actions pressuring Pokeworks to choose kindness for hens.
As one of the cruelest forms of animal confinement, battery cages are so cramped and overcrowded that they prevent hens from engaging in natural behaviors, resulting in intense psychological distress. The cages’ sharp flooring causes painful damage to feet and claws, and hens often find themselves caught in the wiring, resulting in broken bones, deformities, and feather loss.
Battery cages aren’t just cruel to animals—they also pose serious food safety and health risks for humans. In fact, eggs from caged hens are up to 25 times more likely to contain salmonella. Hens, and consumers, deserve better.
Pokeworks aims to complete its cage-free pledge by the end of 2023 and will publish annual progress reports towards its commitment. Progress reporting is a key component of any animal welfare commitment, ensuring a company holds true to its word and doesn’t stand to benefit from empty promises. This new policy from Pokeworks is set to benefit millions of egg-laying hens, impacting its supply chains for 65 restaurants worldwide.
A relentless effort
This new policy comes in the midst of an ongoing global animal welfare campaign urging companies to eliminate battery cages from their supply chains. With consumer pressure mounting, more and more brands are realizing that the future is cage-free—and they need to commit or be left behind.
"With more and more companies taking steps in the right direction towards improving animal welfare, it’s clear that cage-free is becoming the new standard of the global food industry."
So far, 100+ global companies have pledged to remove the use of brutal, inhumane battery cages for egg-laying hens in their supply chains. It’s time that corporate giants, like Dunkin' and Sonic, eliminate battery cages and stop profiting off of unacceptable animal cruelty.
Will you take action right now to end the abuse of chickens?
