McDonald’s vows a switch to cage-free eggs

NEW YORK — McDonald’s restaurants in Canada and the United States are switching to so-called cage-free eggs over the next decade, marking the latest push under CEO Steve Easterbrook to try to reinvent the fast food chain as a “modern, progressive burger company.”

Under pressure to revive slumping sales, McDonald’s has already announced a number of changes since Easterbrook stepped into his role earlier this year.

In March, the fast-food giant said it would switch to chickens raised without most antibiotics. And in April, it said it would raise pay for workers at company-owned stores, which represent about 10 per cent of its domestic locations.

The decision to switch to cagefree eggs, known as free-range in Canada, signals a growing sensitivity among customers to animal welfare issues. That has been fuelled in part by places such as Chipotle that have made animal welfare standards part of their marketing.

“McDonald’s’ announcement today is probably the most significant commitment toward cage-free eggs we’ve seen so far in Canada,” Josey Kitson, Canadian executive director of World Animal Protection, said in a statement. “They have the size and buying power to transform how eggs are produced here and ultimately improve the lives of millions of hens.”

Kitson noted most of the more than 300 million North American laying hens are kept in battery cages where each lives in a space smaller than an iPad with little room to move. In typical cage-free barns, hens are able to walk around, lay eggs in a nest box and perch.

“We know Canadians want responsibly sourced food,” Kitson said, adding companies like McDonald’s, with more than 1,400 outlets in Canada, “are starting to take notice.”

Paul Shapiro of the Humane Society of the U.S. called the announcement a “real watershed moment.” While cage-free doesn’t mean cruelty-free or access to the outdoors, Shapiro said it’s a substantial improvement from battery cages.

Among the companies that have said they will switch to cage-free eggs are Subway and Starbucks, although neither chain has laid out a timeline for when they expect the transition to be complete.