The Humane League is planning a series of protests at U.S. Hardee’s locations with the intent on pressuring the quick service restaurant to give a progress update on its promise to transition to a 100% cage-free egg supply.
According to the organization’s website, it will be at a Hardee’s locations in Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis, Indiana, in October, and at a location in Charleston, South Carolina, in November.
Hardee’s is operated by parent company CKE Restaurants Holdings, which in 2016 pledged that it would transition its entire egg supply to cage-free eggs by 2025, subject to availability of egg supplies. The pledge was made on behalf of Hardee’s and its sister brand, Carl’s Jr.
The Humane League, on its website, stated that Hardee’s “rightly promised to phase out all battery cages by 2025. 2025 is fast approaching, yet they refuse to provide any evidence that they are actively working to meet this looming deadline.”
It was announced in August 2023 that Carl’s Jr. had met its cage-free egg goal in its U.S. locations.
On the CKE animal welfare webpage, the company confirmed that all Carl’s Jr. restaurants in the United States have completed the transition. It also stated “Our commitment continues to stay firm, and we are resolute to a cage-free egg supply in 2025 in all of our domestic and international restaurants.
Together with its franchisees, Hardee's operates approximately 1,600 restaurants across the U.S. and has a presence in 13 countries worldwide.