After Eggsposé, cage-free progress updates offered

It didn’t take long after The Humane League released its “Cage-Free Eggsposé” report before several companies offered updates on their cage-free egg transitions.

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Ivaylo Georgiev, Freeimages.com
Ivaylo Georgiev, Freeimages.com

It didn’t take long after The Humane League released its “Cage-Free Eggsposé” report before several companies offered updates on their cage-free egg transitions.

In fact, two of them say they have fully transitioned.

On Tuesday last week, the animal rights organization released the report, which called out 13 companies that had previously pledged to transition their egg supply to cage free. But at that point, The Humane League was unable to find any kind of progress report on how the companies were closing in on meeting their commitments.

I blogged about the Eggspose report the day after the report was released, and then on Friday, I got an email from a representative from The Humane League to inform me that three of those targeted companies had since provided such updates. The squeaky wheel was greased.

Arby’s and Inspire Brands

In the Eggsposé report, The Humane League asserted that Arby’s had removed its cage-free egg policy from its website without reporting any progress.

Now, on the website for Inspire Brands, the parent company for Arby’s, it says that company-wide, Inspire will have reached its goal for 100% cage-free eggs. The company further said that Arby’s completed its transition to cage-free eggs in 2020.

The cage-free transition for Sonic, another Inspire Brands company, will have phased implementation until 2025, while two other Inspire companies, Buffalo Wild Wings and Jimmy John’s do not source eggs, the parent company stated.

Nugget Markets

Nugget Markets, according to the Eggsposé report, had not offered any updates at all since the pledge was made.

On the company’s webpage devoted to sustainability matters, Nugget Market stated that more than 72% of its eggs are from cage-free hens. It hasn’t been an easy transition to make, though.

“Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the supply of cage-free eggs has been inconsistent for nearly a year. However, egg producers continue to construct new cage-free facilities, more hens are being raised cage free and the supply of cage-free eggs is growing weekly,” the company stated.

Despite those challenges, Nugget Market said it will only sell cage-free eggs by the end of the year.

Lucky’s Market

Colorado-based Lucky’s Market was also called out in the report for not providing any updates on cage-free eggs. However, when you see the company’s webpage now, the following message can be seen: “We only sell cage-free eggs (or better) supplied from local farms, organic farms and from trusted national brands. You’ll find the same standards in our Bakehouse and Café as well."

Dairy Queen

While it was not mentioned in the Eggsposé report, Dairy Queen offered an update on its transition the day after the report was released.

Steve Min, executive vice president of research and development at International Dairy Queen, said: “As we continue to make progress toward our goal, we reduced the number of proprietary ingredients not yet using cage-free eggs by more than 35%. I am pleased to share that now 100% of proprietary ingredients in Blizzard Treats contain cage-free eggs, and we are on track to meet our cage-free egg commitment in 2025 or sooner.”

Others listed in Eggsposé report

The following companies were also mentioned in the Eggsposé report:  Einstein Bros. Bagels, American Food & Vending, Raley’s, Omni Hotels & Resorts, Wendy’s, Opaa!, Wawa, Pita Pit, Fogo De Chao Brazilian Steakhouse, and Southern.

WATTPoultry.com will provide updates on their transitions as they become available.

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