Restaurants Switching to Cage Free Eggs

[Reeve]

The whole "cage free" terminology was dreamed up so that people would imagine free roaming chickens foraging around like nature intended. Instead, it's a giant stock building packed to the brim with chickens. Is it better than chickens in cages? Sure, but barely.

Even "free range" is a bullshit term. The chickens only have to be provided access to the outdoors, and the amount of time that access is provided isn't regulated.

The ones in your photo without the cages look a lot healthier than the ones in the photo with the cages.

[Tinykong]

The ones in your photo without the cages look a lot healthier than the ones in the photo with the cages.

That's a relative term. They're still standing on feces, each other, other dead chickens, and packed into a shed.

Is it better than a cage? Probably. Still, most people probably believe a "cage free" chicken is raised outdoors or in a place it can roam around freely.

[Lightwysh]

Think of all the cage makers who will lose their jobs!!!

[Graeham]

Maximum positive PR without actually doing anything.

This. If they were truly invested in the idea then they would take steps to do it immediately. I'm certain they'll find some way to put it off for as long as possible whilst parroting the narrative that '...at our company we truly care about sourcing high quality and humanely produced eggs...' and so on.

[Deldavala]

It wouldn't take them 10 years to build a fence, but it might take them quite a while to rebuild their business from the ground up...

Its not as simple as letting them out of the cages and building a fence... A lot of those chickens can't even walk, they sit in cage or a warehouse pen their whole lives... Conveyor belts/machines move/clean the eggs, etc...



Whole new generations of chickens would be needed to undue all of that, not to mention a lot more employees...

And then there are some egg suppliers who simply don't care and won't make the change until they are forced to (because everyone else has and no one wants their product anymore), so new suppliers will have to emerge in the interim as well, etc...

To add onto this. There is also the fact that the "Egg producers" cant just change to become "Cage Free". They need a certificate and whole new processing system for handling the eggs. Due to the fact that this takes time to set up and make efficient they cant deliver eggs at the same price as they did before, and therefore need to streamline the process to cut costs.

The big franchises are not willing to shell out 2-3 times the price for the free cage egg, but make contracts with someone that can promise them a good price a couple of years down the line.

From a Marketing/PR/CSR perspective they are announcing it now to garner some support and get some free press.

[announced]

it'll take longer probably due to contract reasons, and setting up a new environment. personally ive worked as a chicken catcher before and they actually seem fine with being in cages, they dont move much anyway due to the shots they receive making them very docile. people may think they move around out in the wild but no, they will most likely be inside the same building just with a few modifications like no cages.

[Breccia]

I know some Worlds Biggest Fans that will be disappointed.

[Kathranis]

Consider how many thousands of restaurants are selling how many millions of eggs a day, and then consider that all of those eggs come from various suppliers, through various supply chains, many of whom are likely tied up with contractual obligations.

It takes a really long time for these huge, lumbering corporations to make these kinds of shifts. Beyond legal obligations, there's a ton of new infrastructure that needs to be built, as well as FDA testing and so forth.

This will also give the suppliers an opportunity to retrofit their operations and shift from cage to cage free setups if they want to remain in business with the restaurants.

[cuafpr]

I understand why restaurants may want to switch to cage free eggs as a lot of their customers may think its more humane. What I would like to know is why they always give a ridiculous date to do so. In the last 6 months at least 10 restaurants have said they will do it.

Subway and Panera said they will do it by 2020
White Castle will do it by 2025
McDonalds by 2025
Dunkin Donuts by 2025
Starbucks by 2020
Einstein Brothers Bagels by 2020
Jack in the Box by 2025
TGIFridays by 2025
Qdoba by 2025
Dennys by 2026
Wendys by 2020

I cant figure any reason why it should take 5 to 10 years to call up your egg supplier and say we arent going to buy any more eggs from you and then call a cage free supplier and set up a contract. Why do they take so damn long. The same goes for restaurants pledging to use grass fed beef, or organic meats, etc..

b.c 1) they often have long term contracts with suppliers they can't just break without huge legal fees, 2) they are probably giving their suppliers time to switch over, it makes total sense. That said i hope it doesn't increase the costs of food >.< We had this debate at work 5.00 for a dozen free range chicken eggs or a 1.50 for a dozen eggs, yeah i go with the 1.50 eggs everytime. Co-workers say they can taste the difference but i can't, and i feel free range is having the price jacked way up to just take advantage of people wanting to feel good.

[stabetha]

right now cage free eggs are expensive, what these restaurants are doing is saying they will switch so that the market will adjust before they start buying.

[judgementofantonidas]

I understand why restaurants may want to switch to cage free eggs as a lot of their customers may think its more humane. What I would like to know is why they always give a ridiculous date to do so. In the last 6 months at least 10 restaurants have said they will do it.

Subway and Panera said they will do it by 2020
White Castle will do it by 2025
McDonalds by 2025
Dunkin Donuts by 2025
Starbucks by 2020
Einstein Brothers Bagels by 2020
Jack in the Box by 2025
TGIFridays by 2025
Qdoba by 2025
Dennys by 2026
Wendys by 2020

I cant figure any reason why it should take 5 to 10 years to call up your egg supplier and say we arent going to buy any more eggs from you and then call a cage free supplier and set up a contract. Why do they take so damn long. The same goes for restaurants pledging to use grass fed beef, or organic meats, etc..

Whatever. They are chickens.

[-aiko-]

I imagine restaurants buy eggs in bulk, so it wouldn't be as easy as a phone call to get everything switched right away. They would need to cycle through their existing stock. They might also have contracts with the suppliers. With that said, ~10 years is kinda ridiculous.

[Forogil]

Co-workers say they can taste the difference but i can't, and i feel free range is having the price jacked way up to just take advantage of people wanting to feel good.

As for eggs - taste is one thing - another is disease: and there are conflicting reports - some claim cage-free and free-ranging is less likely to be infected (possibly due to smaller flocks - but that will change if everyone switches), and others that at least free-ranging is more likely to be disease-carrying (because they are outside and might run into wild diseased birds).

For the environment the benefit of free-range and other "healthier" options vary - and I didn't find eggs listed in:
http://sciencenordic.com/no-scientif...n-organic-food

[zenkai]

Who actually has this conversation

Where do you want to eat, McDonalds or Burger king

Burger King

But McDonalds has caged free eggs

Good call! Lets eat there

[Orlong]

Who actually has this conversation

Where do you want to eat, McDonalds or Burger king

Burger King

But McDonalds has caged free eggs

Good call! Lets eat there

Id imagine it happens quite often especially in hippy havens like San Francisco