Canadian Icon Commits to Eliminating Cruel Cages for Birds, Wins High Praise from Animal Welfare Group
TORONTO, Feb. 1, 2016 /CNW/ - Today Tim Hortons, one of the largest and most influential restaurant chains in North America, announced its commitment to improving animal welfare in its Canadian, U.S., and Mexican supply chains by switching to 100 percent cage-free eggs by 2025. This commitment also includes Burger King, their sister organization, both owned by Restaurant Brands International. The move, which will spare countless hens a life of suffering in tiny wire battery cages, has been applauded by the international animal protection organization Mercy For Animals, which collaborated with Tim Hortons to develop this monumental policy.
The new cage-free commitment by Tim Hortons follows similar announcements by Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks, Subway, McDonald's, and Wendy's.
More than 90 percent of hens used for eggs are crammed into tiny wire cages on factory farms. The cages are so small the birds can't walk, spread their wings, or engage in other simple natural behaviors. Because the space is so cramped, many birds become trapped and painfully mangled in the cage wire or under the feed trays. Dead hens are often left to rot alongside birds still laying eggs for human consumption.
Battery cages are so cruel they have been banned by California, Michigan, and the European Union.
The following statement can be attributed to Nathan Runkle, president of Mercy For Animals:
"Tim Hortons has taken an important step forward in improving the lives of farmed animals. The company's new cage-free egg commitment will reduce the suffering of countless hens and hopefully inspire other food companies to adopt similar policies.
It's high time the rest of the food industry, including Swiss Chalet and Harvey's, acknowledged that cramming birds into cages barely larger than their bodies is cruel and has no place in a civilized society. With this announcement by Tim Hortons, it's never been clearer that the days are numbered for egg factory farmers who pack birds in cages so small they can't walk, spread their wings, or engage in other natural behaviors. Any food company that has not yet adopted a cage-free egg policy will find itself at odds with common decency, ethics, and business trends."
To learn more about MFA and its efforts to help farmed animals, visit MercyForAnimals.org.
SOURCE Mercy For Animals Canada
Krista Hiddema: 416-666-3093
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