Food service provider goes cage-free

Charlotte, N.C.-based Compass Group, the world’s largest food service provider with 7,500 clients in the United States, announced that it will shift to a new cage-free shell egg policy that will affect about 48 million eggs nationally. The policy also will require that cage-free suppliers adhere to the standards of the third-party auditing organization, Humane Farm Animal Care.

Some of Compass Group’s clients include the Hearst Corp., Microsoft, Sarah Lawrence College, Bard College, and Northwestern University.

“Compass Group is committed to ending our use of eggs from caged hens. This is a huge undertaking for our company, but we’re proud to making such a significant contribution to the welfare of farm animals,” states Cheryl Queen, Compass Group vice president of corporate communications.