It's Time For Hospitals to Crack Open Cage-Free Eggs

by Taylor Leake · 2010-12-08 07:13:00 UTC
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The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has been running its "No Battery Eggs Campaign" since January of 2005, and the non-profit is making a lot of progress. HSUS asks companies and organizations to switch from factory-farmed, caged eggs to cage-free eggs. Businesses from supermarkets to fast food joints to universities to food service providers have made commitments to do just that.

Recently HSUS has been making headway in getting hospitals to go cage-free. In the last few months, St. Joseph's Medical Center, St. Charles health systems, and St. Vincent Hospital have all joined the cage-free egg movement.

It makes a lot of sense for hospitals to commit to using cage-free eggs. It improves the quality, and more to the point, the health of the food they serve patients. Factory farms use battery cages that confine hens in a tiny space about the size of sheet of office paper. More than 280 million hens live out their lives in battery cages and can't even spread their wings. The cages are stacked on top of and next to one another, making these small spaces cramped and disgustingly dirty. The close proximity of the cages leads to the spread of bacteria and diseases. Several studies link battery cages to the spread of salmonella. The recent outbreaks, which forced a recall of a half-billion eggs and sickened 2,000 Americans, shows just how important this issue is to consumers' — especially patients' — overall health.

For health reasons alone, hospitals should make it a point to switch to cage-free eggs. What good is it to treat patients, only to get them sick again? The hospitals that have joined the cage-free movement recognize the environmental and ethical benefits as well. "At St. Joseph Medical Center, we recognize our responsibility to be a good steward to this planet and the animals who inhabit it and we take that responsibility seriously, which is why we switched to cage-free eggs," said Cassie Wigand, the director of food and nutrition services for St. Joseph Medical Center.

HSUS is making real progress in the cage-free egg movement, with more than two dozen hospitals joining. But it is time for hospitals across the country to stand up for their patients' health, the environment, and the humane treatment of animals. That's why we're asking the American Hospital Association, which represents thousands of hospitals and other health care providers, to urge their members to drop eggs produced by hens in battery cages. Help support the cage-free movement by signing our petition to the American Hospital Association.

Photo Credit: -gep- via Flickr

Taylor Leake is a foodie and activist. He's previously worked for Food and Water Watch and Wake Up Walmart.

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