McDonald’s announced Wednesday its U.S. and Canadian restaurants will stop using eggs from hens housed in cages.
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McDonald’s buys about 2 billion eggs annually for its U.S restaurants and 120 million for Canada to serve breakfast items such as Egg McMuffin and Egg White Delight. Right now, only 13 million of those (less than 1 percent) are cage-free.
Garces adds that Publix, Kroger (KR), Target (TGT), Chick-fil-A, and Taco Bell (YUM) are other companies that have not made any commitments to go cage free either.
Marion Gross, senior vice chairman of the North American provide chain at McDonald’s, stated the corporate is working with its present egg suppliers to transform housing methods for hens.
But it’s also due to consumers becoming increasingly interested in knowing more about their food, and where it comes from, according to McDonald’s USA President Mike Andres.
“It is an actual watershed second”, Shapiro stated of the choice by McDonald’s. “The birds can walk, spread their wings, perch, lay their eggs in nest, and engage in other natural behaviors”. Overall, only about 6 percent of the nation’s egg-laying hens are cage-free, according to the United Egg Producers.
McDonald’s is responding to consumers growing concerns about animal welfare issues by switching to cage-free eggs. HSUS said Costco rival Wal-Mart Stores Inc also has not set a timeline. “It’s not something that can be done overnight”.
The move is part of McDonald’s strategy to meet customer demand for higher-quality food.
Under pressure to revive slumping sales, McDonald’s has already announced a number of changes since Easterbrook stepped into his role earlier this year. It also switched from using margarine, which has become less popular, to butter on bread for breakfast.
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Lisa McComb, McDonald’s Director of Media Relations tells FOXBusiness.com that the 10 year window is needed because of the amount of eggs they purchase per year. The coffee chain said it had taken steps to make 10 percent of all eggs sourced for its breakfast sandwiches in the United States cage-free by the end of 2015. “We are confident we will have a safe and secure supply of eggs”, he said. “We can’t remain static and remain relevant to customers”.
