Fast food giant Burger King has agreed to be more humane to the food consumed every day by its customers across the globe.
Partnering with the Humane Society of the United States, the country’s second-largest fast food chain announced April 25 that it will no longer use eggs from hens or meat from pigs confined to tight cages.
“We are proud to announce these new, industry-leading commitments that support meaningful standards of humane treatment in our U.S. supply chain,” Jonathan Fitzpatrick, the chief brand and operations officer for Burger King, said in a press release.
“These changes by Burger King Corp. will improve life for countless farm animals and encourage other companies to abide by animal welfare principles up and down their supply chain,” Fitzpatrick said.
Other fast food restaurants such as Wendy’s and McDonalds first partnered with the Humane Society on the treatment of pigs, but the switch to using eggs from cage-free hens is a first and will cost Burger King three times as much as eggs from caged birds. According to CNN, the switch will also make Burger King’s carbon foot print grow in size, as cage-free hens take more food, land, and water.
“What this does is send a clear message to these industries that their customers and the public don’t want animals confined for their entire lives in cages. They will have to make changes,” Matt Prescott, director of food policy for the Humane Society, told CNN.
“It doesn’t take a scientist to look at five to eight animals crammed into a cage the size of a file cabinet drawer and say this is wrong,” said Prescott.
The process of switching to products produced by cage-free animals is expected to take up to five years, according to CNN.
Founded in 1954, Burger King now has over 7,200 restaurants in operation nationwide.
