Starbucks has declared that all of its eggs will be cage-free by the year 2020.
The company told Reuters that its plan is to have only cage-free eggs in its North American stores in the next five years. Starbucks said it has been working since 2008 on moving toward cage-free eggs.
Humane Society of the United States informed that "cage-free hens are able to walk, spread their wings and lay their eggs in nests, vital natural behaviors denied to hens confined in cages," however they can still "live in very large flocks that can consist of many thousands of hens who never go outside."
Other fast food chains such as McDonald's and Burger King have made similar pledges, Time shared. McDonald's said it is going to be making the switch to cage-free eggs over the next decade while Burger King has also made a cage-free commitment which is set to be met by 2017.
The transition to cage-free eggs has been a priority for both egg producers and activists for years, Jacob Koffler wrote for Time. However, opposition from pork and veal farmers who feared they would face similar regulations have stymied the effort at a legislative solution.
"But animal rights activists would prefer that all hens be raised free-range, meaning they have unlimited access to the outdoors, Jacob penned. "Researchers believe well-run free-range systems give hens the highest quality of life, though the systems also raise new concerns, like an increased risk from predators and disease."
"Whatever the ultimate goal, whether cage-free or free-range, groups on all sides of the debate agree that any changes in the U.S. egg industry will have to be driven by the market", he continued.
To recall, U.S. egg suppliers just endured the worst epidemic bird flu in the country's history. Hence, Starbucks said "there is still work to be done across the industry to increase supply to address market conditions," adding, "we are committed to working with our suppliers toward our goal to be 100 percent cage-free by 2020."
