April 13, 2010, 3:49 pm
McDonald’s Board Opposes Cage-Free Eggs for U.S.
By LEORA BROYDO VESTEL
The board of directors of McDonald’s has recommended that the company’s shareholders vote against a proposal to require that 5 percent of the eggs purchased for the chain’s restaurants in the United States be the cage-free variety.
Sally Ryan for The New York Times Eggs are washed, rinsed and coated in a thin layer of oil to protect their porous shells before they are dried and packaged at a cage-free supplier in Indiana.
The proposal was advanced by the Humane Society of the United States.
Some major fast food companies, including Burger King, Subway and Wendy’s, and the retailers Wal-Mart and Trader Joe’s, have already made some level of commitment to purchasing or selling cage-free eggs.
But the McDonald’s board said on Friday that the science was not there to support a switch.
“As we have examined this issue over the years, we have determined that there is no agreement in the global scientific community about how to balance the advantages and disadvantages of laying hen housing systems,” it said in a proxy statement. Read More
It’s nice to see a company not cave to emotional pleas, but rather rely on scientific evidence to make sound decisions. Obviously, the animal rights activists don’t want companies to study the issues since the answer might not match their agenda. Shouldn’t this be a warning sign not to trust these groups that shun studying animals welfare in favor of bullying people into agreeing with them?
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