# McDonald's Jumping on the Bandwagon



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

World Poultry-source

McDonalds to transition to cage-free eggs in US

Sep 11, 2015 437 0 


To meet consumers' changing expectations and preferences, US fast food outlet McDonald's will fully transition to cage-free eggs for its nearly 16,000 restaurants in the US and Canada over the next 10 years.



McDonalds to transition to cage-free eggs in US

"Our customers are increasingly interested in knowing more about their food and where it comes from," said McDonald's USA president Mike Andres. "Our decision to source only cage-free eggs reinforces the focus we place on food quality and our menu to meet and exceed our customers' expectations."

"A bold move"

"We're proud of the work we're doing with farmers and suppliers to advance environmentally and socially conscious practices for the animals in our supply chain," said Marion Gross, senior vice president and Chief Supply Chain Officer of McDonald's North America. "This is a bold move and we're confident in our ability to provide a quality, safe, and consistent supply."

On an annual basis, McDonald's USA purchases approximately two billion eggs and McDonald's Canada purchases 120 million eggs to serve on its breakfast menus, which includes popular breakfast sandwiches, such as the Egg McMuffin and Egg White Delight. Since 2011, McDonald's USA has been purchasing more than 13 million cage-free eggs annually.

Demand for responsibly-sourced food

Herbruck's Poultry Ranch, a family-owned and operated farm in Michigan, has worked with McDonald's for decades to supply nutritious eggs. "Cage-free systems play an important role in our work to keep hens healthy and meet the growing consumer demand for responsibly-sourced food," said Greg Herbruck, executive vice president of Herbruck's Poultry Ranch.

"We welcome McDonald's actions to continue these efforts and are pleased to join them in sourcing cage-free eggs across their supply chain. We continue embracing new technologies and strategies to ensure our hens are well-cared for."

Hen housing system standard

In 2000, McDonald's USA was the first food service company to adopt a standard for hen housing systems, which provided more space per bird than the industry standard. In 2010, the company initiated research with the Coalition for a Sustainable Egg Supply to better understand the impact of various hen housing systems on animal health and welfare, the environment, worker health, food safety and food affordability. This research provided important insights into the trade-offs of various housing systems for the company to make informed sourcing decisions.

Chicken without antibiotics

The announcement follows other actions announced this year by McDonald's USA to source only chicken raised without antibiotics important to human medicine by 2017 and to offer milk jugs of low-fat white milk and fat-free chocolate milk from cows that have not been treated with rbST, an artificial growth hormone.


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

I tried their steak and egg burrito yesterday, it was nothing to write home about .


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

What gets me is they are making a noble move, but it will take 10 years to get them all out of cages?


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

If they did it all at once the cost would be very extreme.
Imagine having to reduce your flock size by half to accommodate cage free ,or spend $250k on another hen house.
In Michigan by 2020 all traditional battery cages will be eliminated,the act was passed in 2008 .


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT
Housing: The design, construction and management of a poultry housing system must
meet the birds' need for shelter against undesirable environmental conditions such as 
extreme cold, excessive heat, rain and wind and modify these climatic conditions to
conform to an adequate environment for laying hens. They shall be constructed to
minimize transmission of disease, parasites and other vermin infestation and optimize
the principles of disease prevention. The housing should also protect the birds from all
forms of predators and allow for daily visual inspection and care. Public Act No. 117 of
October 12, 2009 will require that by April 1, 2020 all egg laying hens be housed so that
they are able to fully extend their limbs and turn around freely. Hens may be housed in
a variety of housing arrangements such as aviary, single tier systems or colony systems
that are large enough to do so with a minimum of 1 sq ft per hen.
Housing in cages: Cages shall be designed, constructed and maintained to avoid
injury to the birds and allow bird comfort and health. The cages must be so constructed
as to allow the safe placement and removal of birds. Cage height shall allow a
minimum of 14 inches with a floor slope not to exceed 8.5 degrees. As stated above
conventional battery cage systems will be eliminated as a housing option on
April 1, 2020.
Housing on floors: All flooring shall be designed, constructed and maintained to avoid
injury and allow comfort and health to the birds. More complete guidelines for floor
space, nesting area, feed and water spacing and litter management are available in the
United Egg Producers Animal Husbandry Guidelines (2010) or standards set by
certification bodies for special label marketing purposes.

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdard/2015_CARE_OF_FARM_ANIMALS_GAAMPs_480521_7.pdf


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Nm156 said:


> If they did it all at once the cost would be very extreme.
> Imagine having to reduce your flock size by half to accommodate cage free ,or spend $250k on another hen house.
> In Michigan by 2020 all traditional battery cages will be eliminated,the act was passed in 2008 .


Thanks for the info! Gee whoda thunk chicken lives were actually important! Go figure!


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## rosco47 (Jul 6, 2015)

No thanks. I'll still cook my own brrakfast.........


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Yea. In fact, egg salad is really great, and deviled eggs.


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