Burger King Says All Eggs and Pork Will Come From Cage-Free Chickens and Pigs by 2017: Should Other Restaurants Follow Suit?
SodaHead Living
2012/04/26 17:10:38
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Are you an animal lover, particularly one with a weakness for Burger King? We have good news for you. The burger joint announced on Wednesday that all of its eggs and pork will come from cage-free chickens and pigs by 2017, The Associated Press reports.
"So many tens of thousands of animals will now be in better living conditions," said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, which has been pushing Burger King and other corporations on the issue, according to the AP.
It certainly seems like a step in the right direction. Conventionally raised eggs come from hens confined in battery cages, and most pork comes from sows that are confined during their four-month pregnancies in narrow crates, the AP says.
Increased costs have prevented some companies from going cage-free, but research shows that customers are willing to pay more for the peace of mind that comes with knowing that animals are being treated humanely.
And since Burger King is the nation's second-largest fast-food restaurant, other companies are likely to follow suit. Wal-Mart and Costco have already transitioned their private-label eggs to 100 percent cage-free, and Unilever, maker of Hellmann's mayonnaise brand, is also going 100 percent cage-free. Should other restaurants and brands follow in their footsteps?
It certainly seems like a step in the right direction. Conventionally raised eggs come from hens confined in battery cages, and most pork comes from sows that are confined during their four-month pregnancies in narrow crates, the AP says.
Increased costs have prevented some companies from going cage-free, but research shows that customers are willing to pay more for the peace of mind that comes with knowing that animals are being treated humanely.
And since Burger King is the nation's second-largest fast-food restaurant, other companies are likely to follow suit. Wal-Mart and Costco have already transitioned their private-label eggs to 100 percent cage-free, and Unilever, maker of Hellmann's mayonnaise brand, is also going 100 percent cage-free. Should other restaurants and brands follow in their footsteps?
Top Opinion
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Bibliophilic 2012/04/26 18:40:09
We aren't Hitlers of the animal kingdom that butchers animals without any conscience of how we take care of them before they become slaughtered for food.
Bye
I couldn't care less how the animal is treated so long as it gets in my stomach.
The choice of what's tastier should be made by producers, since they're the ones providing the meat, not you or me. If you don't like it, then don't buy it. However, don't force producers to conform to your arbitrary sense on morality.
And there's a logical reason why most meat-processing facilities don't go cage-free. The animals are harder to catch, hence making the process cost more and become more hazardous to workers.
We aren't Hitlers of the animal kingdom that butchers animals without any conscience of how we take care of them before they become slaughtered for food.
Bye
And an animal activist would tell you that we ARE the Hitlers of the animal kingdom and no matter how humanely we treat the animals we're nothing but murderers and rapists. So I say do it in the most cost effective manner, and if that means they're penned up, in cages, or chained down then so be it.
Example: you cage a chicken and hang it in your back yard and that is as per them, a cage free chicken.
We are trying to appeal (marketing-wise) to the eco-nuts ..
and ..
We are going to increase our prices too ...
For many producers of livestock, foodstuffs .. are responsible overall ..
NO tiny cages, no torture at all ..
and they can do it far more economically too.
(and sell their products at local farm markets, in farm coops .. (for example))
Don't need that label "organic" which is basically a scam to raise the price ..
Bye
guess you've not raised your own livestock/foodstock ..
and with many folks .. that extra dollar or two .. for each product adds up to become a BUDGET BUSTING Bill at the grocery store ..
People are NOT fooled by the label "organic" ..
(just another name for increase the price)
There's a fallacy out there .. which labels all livestock/foodstock producers as unhealthy or caged .. or disrespectful .. (MOST are not like that at all)
There's a few producers that I avoid for doing so (including some practices that are unusually nasty in the production process .. )
I'm not going to be fooled by the label 'organic' ..
I'll make sure to keep being a responsible person .. raise my own .. and continue to use grocery only as a supplement.
Bye
Bye
"Using a grant of $375,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the researchers will test wearable sensors that will monitor how hens use space and resources in non-cage environments."
Call it "Cash for Cluckers",