Dairy Queen Vows To Only Use Cage-Free Eggs By 2025

Dairy Queen is one of the last national chains to make the switch to cage-free.

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Joanna Fantozzi|May 11, 2016 12:59 pm EST

McDonald's, Denny's, Chick-fil-A, Trader Joe's. These are the latest nationwide fast food and grocery chains that have made the commitment to switch to cage-free eggs within the next decade.Dairy Queen is the newest to join the burgeoning group of animal welfare- conscious food companies. The chain has committed to going cage-free by 2025.[slideshow: 1668674]

"Once we decided to go cage free, we believed it was important to have a bigger program," says William A. Barrier Ph.D., Dairy Queen executive vice president of product development/quality, research & development. "Sourcing cage-free eggs for the breakfast program alone seemed to leave the job somewhat unfinished."

But what does cage-free actually mean? Don't be fooled into thinking cage-free chickens live better lives. Free-range and free-roaming eggs are raised with outdoor space, but cage-free chickens do not have to be. According to the Humane Society, beak-cutting and force molting could also be utilized on cage-free chickens.