McDonald's Will Use Cage-Free Eggs

McDonald's has announced that it will use cage-free eggs for all of its products within the next 10 years as the company continues its efforts to redefine itself to meet shifting consumer tastes focused on health and environmental impact.

The policy will affect all 16,000 McDonald's locations in the United States and Canada, according to a press release from the company. McDonald's U.S. operations purchases 2 billion eggs a year while Canada's locations purchase 120 million. The new policy is an extension of an existing policy, as the company has purchased 13 million cage-free eggs a year annually.

The impact of McDonald's decision will only grow larger when the company begins serving breakfast all day starting in October. Consumers had long demanded that the company serve breakfast past the traditional 10:30 a.m. cutoff.

"We're proud of the work we're doing with farmers and suppliers to advance environmentally and socially conscious practices for the animals in our supply chain," said Marion Gross, senior vice president and Chief Supply Chain Officer of McDonald's North America. "This is a bold move and we're confident in our ability to provide a quality, safe, and consistent supply."

Animal rights activists have long railed against the caged raising of poultry as it is often cramped and dirty.

"Animal welfare has always been important to us and our customers," added Gross. "Today's announcement is another big milestone building on our work with industry experts and suppliers to improve the treatment of animals."

The announcement on cage-free eggs also comes on the heels of a recent decision to only use chickens who have been raised without antibiotics that are also used to treat illnesses in humans by 2017.