Barilla Joins National Cage-Free Egg Movement

(Jan. 3, 2011)-Chicagoland-based Barilla has announced that it will switch 45 percent of the eggs in its supply chain to cage-free in 2011, becoming the first company in its industry to join the growing movement away from using eggs from caged hens.

"Barilla's new animal welfare policy will spare countless hens from life crammed inside tiny cages," said Matthew Prescott, corporate outreach director of The HSUS' factory farming campaign. "We applaud the company for taking animal welfare seriously by partially switching to cage-free eggs, and we hope others in the food industry follow its lead."

Across the country, a national movement away from using eggs from hens confined in cages has taken root: Kraft, Sara Lee, and Otis Spunkmeyer are switching millions of eggs in their products to cage-free; Hellmann's mayonnaise announced plans to convert the 350 million eggs it uses in the U.S. to cage-free; Burger King, Subway, Sonic, Wendy's, Arby's, Denny's, Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Quiznos, Cracker Barrel and Golden Corral are just some of the restaurant chains that use cage-free eggs; and Wal-Mart's and Costco's private brand eggs are exclusively cage-free.

Michigan and California have passed laws to outlaw cage confinement of hens, and similar legislation is pending elsewhere. California enacted a law that requires all whole eggs sold statewide to be cage-free by 2015.

"Product quality, safety, nutrition and sustainability are key pillars for our Company," wrote Barilla in a letter to The HSUS. "To this end, Barilla's policy on supply chain management takes into consideration not only health and wellbeing of people, but also the health and wellbeing of animals."