UW Oshkosh Joins Snowballing Cage-Free Egg Trend

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh has joined a growing movement toward improving the lives of farm animals by enacting a cage-free egg policy for campus dining facilities.

Effective today, all shell (whole) eggs that UW Oshkosh serves its students will be cage-free. The Humane Society of the United States applauds the new policy. This decision follows a successful student-voter referendum and dining services-committee vote to switch the eggs sold on campus to cage-free.

"Confining hens inside tiny cages so small they can't even spread their wings is cruel and inhumane," said Paul Shapiro, senior director of The HSUS' factory farming campaign. "UW Oshkosh is joining a growing number of colleges in moving away from using eggs from caged hens. The Humane Society of the United States encourages other schools to follow its example."

UW Oshkosh joins hundreds of schools—including UW Madison, University of Minnesota, Harvard and Princeton—in using cage-free eggs in their cafeterias. Many Wisconsin businesses also have cage-free egg policies, including Bruegger's, Outpost Natural Foods and Suzy's Cheesecakes.

Facts

• U.S. factory farms confine about 280 million hens in barren battery cages that are so small, they can't even spread their wings. Each bird has less space than a single sheet of paper on which to live.
• There is a snowballing national movement against battery cages. Wolfgang Puck and Ben & Jerry's are ending their use of cage eggs. Burger King, Carl's Jr. and Hardees have begun using cage-free eggs. Several grocery chains, including Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Natural Marketplace, have stopped selling cage eggs.
• While cage-free does not mean cruelty-free, cage-free hens generally have 250-300 percent more space per bird and are able to engage in more of their natural behaviors than are caged hens. Cage-free hens may not be able to go outside, but they are able to walk, spread their wings, and lay their eggs in nests—all behaviors permanently denied to hens confined in battery cages.
• Shell eggs are unbroken whole eggs.

Timeline

• December 2007—Compass Group, the world's largest food service provider that services hundreds of schools, implements a cage-free shell egg policy.
• August 2007—Hardee's and Carl's Jr. begin phasing in the use of cage-free eggs.
• March 2007—Burger King begins phasing in the use of cage-free eggs.
• May 2005—Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Natural Marketplace announce that they have ended sales of eggs from caged hens.
• November 2003—The Better Business Bureau rules that it is misleading to label eggs from battery-caged hens as "Animal Care Certified."
• 2000-2002—McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's require that their meat and egg suppliers abide by very modest animal welfare standards.

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