The third largest American burger chain in the country recently announced its plans to have all of its eggs and pork come from cage-free chickens and pigs by 2017.
This decision stems from Burger King’s social responsibility policy, they say, and raises the bar for other fast food restaurants. It also doesn’t hurt that the public is clamoring for more humanely treated fare, along with a more transparent food system. The grassroots pressure has been steadily rising and companies are listening.
Currently, 9% of Burger King’s eggs are cage-free and 20% of its pork, according to a story on MSNBC. If it goes to 100%, that represents hundreds of millions of eggs and tens of millions of pounds of pork annually.
This comes in the wake of McDonalds and Wendy’s asking their pork suppliers to outline their plans for the elimination of gestation crates.
People are making their collective voice heard and companies are responding. It’s good to see Burger King leading the charge; hopefully it’s just a matter of time before others follow suit.
