The Burger King Corp. is getting a high-five from the Humane Society for taking steps toward cruelty-free eggs and pork, announcing plans to cut off suppliers who sell pork by breeding pigs in gestation crates and eggs from hens confined in "battery cages." The fast food giant, which has over 12,500 locations worldwide, has been an industry leader in this regard, having become the first major restaurant company to begin phasing-in cage-free products back in 2007.
Burger King says it will "transition to 100 percent cage-free eggs for all U.S. locations within five years, and only purchase pork from suppliers that have documented plans to end their use of gestation crates for breeding pigs." Farms that use gestation crates force sows to leave nearly their entire lives inside tiny crates so small the animals can't even turn around. The Humane Society has worked to pass laws against gestation crates in eight states: Ohio, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Michigan, and Oregon.
Today's announcement makes Burger King the first giant chain to go completely cage-free. Humane Society president Wayne Pacelle says, "Burger King Corp. has demonstrated when it comes to America’s largest fast food chains, it continues to set the standard."
It will be interesting to see how this impacts the purchasing decision of other major fast food chains. But a Wendy's spokesman tells CNN his company doesn't sell breakfast at most locations, so Wendy's focus is currently on more humanely slaughtering chickens for their meat, as opposed to eggs. ("You can't focus on everything," said the flack.)
