Panera Bread to fully switch to cage-free eggs by 2020

Panera Bread announced it intends to have all of the eggs it serves at its U.S. restaurants from cage-free hens by 2020. This includes shell eggs, hard-boiled and liquid egg whites, in addition to those used in sweet goods, soufflés  and dressings.
In a news release issued on November 5, Panera Bread stated that nearly 21 percent of its eggs served in 2015 are cage-free.
The company revealed several other updates on its animal welfare goals and the progress it is making in meeting them.

Panera Bread and antibiotics

In the same news release, Panera Bread reported progress in its goal of serving proteins from animals raised without the use of antibiotics.
All of the chicken and turkey products that have sold at Panera Bread in 2015 came from birds that were never treated with antibiotics of any sort. Likewise, in 2015, all of the eggs served at Panera Bread came from hens that were never given antibiotics and all of the pork served were raised without antibiotics and fed a vegetarian-only diet.
“For more than a decade, we’ve been working to reduce antibiotic use and confinement across our supply chain,” said Panera Bread founder and CEO Ron Shaich. “We are honored to have been recognized as one of the two best performing national restaurant companies in an independent report on antibiotics usage and transparency in September. While there is more work to be done, we are within reach of a menu without antibiotics and unnecessary confinement. We are committed to transparency – which means sharing where we are and where we plan to go. We encourage other companies to join us by transparently sharing their progress.”

Only crate-free pork at Panera Bread

The company also reported that in 2015, its entire pork supply, which accounts for about 7 million pounds, came from farms where gestation crates were not used.

Kellogg switching to cage-free eggs, crate-free pork

The Kellogg Company plans to source only cage-free eggs for its foods and will eliminate gestation stalls from its pork supply chain by the end of 2025, citing that it wants to build on its commitment to animal welfare.
"Even though we are a grains-based company and use very few animal products in our foods, we understand that we have a role to play in influencing responsible behavior throughout our supply chain," said Paul Norman, President, Kellogg North America. "Today's announcement allows us to lead positive change in a way we know gives consumers more of what they want from brands and companies -- a strong focus on social responsibility."
Kellogg uses eggs in some of its foods, including Eggo frozen breakfast foods and MorningStar Farms frozen vegetable foods brands. The company also purchases a very small amount of pork for some of its frozen breakfast sandwiches. Kellogg has already reduced its use of eggs from caged hens in MorningStar Farms products by 20 million eggs since 2007, and by the end of 2016, the company has committed to switch one million more cage-free eggs within its MorningStar Farms brand. Today's announcement, which applies to its U.S. operations, takes those promises one step further with the move to 100 percent cage-free eggs.
"We are proud of the progress we've made to date as we've sourced an increasing number of cage-free eggs," said Diane Holdorf, Chief Sustainability Officer at Kellogg Company. "While we hope these transitions come sooner than 2025, we understand that the development of alternative housing methods takes time and are committed to working with our suppliers to establish the appropriate path forward."

Canada’s duBreton to raise 300,000 more crate-free pigs

Quebec-based pork producer duBreton plans to raise 300,000 more pigs without the use of gestation stalls or traditional farrowing crates by 2018. The company is investing $30 million to implement these plans.
The first pork producer to apply for Humane Farm Animal Care’s (HFAC) Certified Humane Raised and Handled label, Dubreton in 2003 had two separate farm operations: a natural and organic pork operations, and commodity pork operations. The commody pork operations allowed gestation crates and farrowing stalls, but the natural and organic pork operations did not. However, according to HFAC, Vincent Breton, the president of duBreton pork, said he wanted to work toward eliminating crates from all of his operations.
"Compared to commodity or traditional farming practices, it costs us 50 percent more to raise Certified Humane pork and more than double to raise an organic pig," said Breton, third-generation president of duBreton. "The result is the highest quality pork possible, and as this translates into only a slight increase at retail. We believe it is well worth the cost to preserve the dignity and respect of the animals in our care. Obviously, consumers agree as demand is outpacing supply in many markets where we trade."

A family farming business, duBreton is the only major size pork producer in North America to be verified Certified Humane Raised and Handled, which promotes and encourages the highest standards of animal welfare.

Hilton hotels to serve cage-free eggs, crate-free pork

Hilton Worldwide is planning to transition into using cage-free eggs and crate-free pork at its hotels, the company announced on April 6.
All hotels in the Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels &Resorts, Canopy by Hilton and DoubleTree by Hilton brands will be required to switch all egg usage to cage-free by December 31, 2017.
The company will also require that all pork products must be purchased from suppliers that house breeding pigs in groups rather than using gestation crates by December 31, 2018. These changes will initially apply in 19 countries where products are currently available and will be adopted in additional markets as supply comes online.
These actions are part of the hotel company’s global responsible sourcing strategy, which includes a focus on animal welfare.
“We are committed to addressing key issues throughout our business and supply chain and responsibly serving our guests and communities in a range of areas,” added Jennifer Silberman, vice president, corporate responsibility for Hilton Worldwide. “With more than 2,000 restaurants in our global footprint, our goal is to have a considerable impact on sustainable sourcing in our industry as well as drive humane treatment of animals throughout our supply chain.”
Hilton’s new animal welfare initiatives involving eggs and pork were announced in conjunction with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Less than one week earlier, Dunkin’ Donuts made a similar announcement with HSUS.

Dunkin’ Donuts moves to cage-free eggs, crate-free pork

Dunkin' Donuts is phasing into a plan to serve eggs from cage-free hens and bacon and pork from crate-free pigs. 
Dunkin’ Donuts has committed to transition to using pork from crate-free pigs and eggs from cage-free hens. The company announced its plans on March 30.
Dunkin’ Donuts stated in a press release that it will map its international supply chain to understand the feasibility of transitioning to 100 percent cage-free eggs globally, and, based on this assessment, establish a global target with interim deliverables towards this goal. As an immediate step, 10 percent of all eggs sourced for its breakfast sandwiches in the U.S. will be cage-free by the end of 2016. Additionally, Dunkin’ Donuts will source only pork from pigs raised without the use of gestation crates in its U.S. restaurants by 2022.
The announcement was made in partnership with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Dunkin’ Brands is working with its suppliers and the HSUS to update its animal welfare policy and meet its target goals.
“Dunkin’ Brands and our franchisee community care about the welfare of animals and their humane treatment. We set a goal to source 5 percent cage-free eggs by 2013, an accomplishment we are proud to have achieved,” said Christine Riley Miller, senior director of corporate social responsibility for Dunkin’ Brands.
Dunkin’ Brands’ full commitment to animal welfare will be included in the company’s 2014 Corporate Social Responsibility report, which will be released by end of spring. 
Dunkin' Donuts' decision follows similar moves made by other companies, including Heinz and Nestle, which both announced in 2014 they would transition toward cage-free eggs and crate-free pork.