Fast food giant McDonald's has announced that it will start exclusively using eggs from cage-free hens in the United States and Canada over the next decade. The move is one of several by CEO Steve Easterbrook to transform the inventor of the Egg McMuffin, Big Mac, and Happy Meal into a "modern" burger company, as it struggles to compete with restaurant chains including Burger King, Subway, and Chipotle.
Easterbrook has already made several wholesale changes due to the Golden Arch's plummeting sales figures. Earlier this year the famous fast food brand promised to switch to antibiotic-free chickens.
The company's move to cage-free eggs represents the public's growing concern about animal welfare issues. Restaurant chains such as Chipotle Mexican Grill have even spotlighted them in ads.
The Humane Society has pushed McDonald's to end its use of battery cages for the past decade. That was at the company's yearly shareholders meeting.
McDonald's yearly purchases around 13 million cage-free eggs in the U.S. However, that is not even 1 percent of the eggs it uses annually to make menu items including its Big Breakfast, according to Illinois Farmer Today.
Various restaurant giants such as Burger King have set timelines to switch to cage-free eggs, according to The Seattle Times. Others such as Starbucks and Subway have made an open-ended commitment.
United Egg Produces has reported that only 6 percent of the country's egg production is the result of cage-free hens. However, CEO Chad Gregory expects the number to increase.
Besides changing its egg source, McDonald's will likely boost its purchase of the oval food. Starting on October 6 the fast food company will sell all-day breakfast items throughout the U.S.
McDonald's launched its Egg McMuffin signature breakfast sandwich in 1972. A franchise operator in California introduced it to former President Ray Kroc. Some variants include double-sausage, chicken, egg-white, and vegetarian.
In this video farmers explain cage-free hens' environment: