News

World's largest food service provider goes totally cage-free

September 15, 2016

The world’s largest food service provider, Compass Group, said today it is replacing allof its eggs — liquid and shelled — with cage-free varieties in 50 countries worldwide. According to the company's website, globally they and their partners provide 4 billion meals annually in 50,000 locations. All of those meals will soon be made without the eggs of hens who have been confined their entire lives in cages that prevented them from moving or spreading their wings. 

Among Compass external brand partners are food service leaders like Chick-fil-A, Einstein Brothers Bagels, Dunkin’ Donuts, Smashburger, Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina and The Pizza Studio. The company also provides food service to internal brands and organizations like schools and hospitals. As such, today's announcement is a monumental win for animal welfare organizations, and chickens, of course, since millions of egg-laying hens will now live outside of the those confining battery cages that most had previously lived their lives. 

The Humane Society of the United States announced Compass Group's pledge in a news release, saying the organization has been working with the Compass Group for several years on this matter and others related to animal welfare. HSUS has previously worked with the Compass Group in Mexico, called Eurest. Likewise, HSUS obtained a pledge from the world’s second-largest food service provider, Sodexo, to go cage-free globally, as well as from the largest restaurant operator in Latin America, Alsea, which said recently it also would move to cage-free eggs for its 3,000 locations in Latin America and Europe.

Nearly 200 major U.S. food-related companies have made similar commitments, including Subway and McDonalds.