It’s good news for hens this Christmas as the world’s largest food service provider, the Compass Group, announced that it is introducing a cage free policy when supplying eggs to all of its US clients.

According to the Humane Society United States (HSUS), annually the company will replace its use of about 48 million eggs from caged hens with cage-free eggs, reducing the suffering of nearly 200,000 hens who are packed into tiny battery cages where the birds can barely move.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS, commented that, "When the largest food-service provider in the world joins the movement away from battery cage eggs, it's clear that this type of intensive confinement has no place in the egg industry's future.

As we move into the new year, it's time for the egg industry to stop resisting the trend and instead to move away from battery cages.”
The move by the Compass Group is a significant one, but the HSUS caution that cage-free doesn't necessarily mean cruelty-free.

While battery reared hens are packed in small cages with only an average of 67 inches of space for their entire lives, cage free hens live in large flocks, often up to several thousand, and are able to walk around, spread their wings and lay eggs in nests, but never go outside.

The next step up in welfare for hens is free range, where hens are typically reared in barns, but given access to outdoor areas and can engage in natural behavior such as foraging and nesting. As there is a lack of common or enforced standards with free range hens, however, the Humane Farm Animal Care group also run a Certified Humane program, which requires farmers to provide perches, nest boxes, roam free in barns and keep a low flock number.

Although the various certifications can be confusing, next time you go shopping, keep in mind the general rule that eggs with white shells come from hens who have never seen daylight, while colored shells mean better cared for hens.