Peet's Coffee And Einstein Bros Bagels Are The Latest Companies To Promise Cage-Free Eggs

Two more companies have joined the likes of McDonald's, Taco Bell, Panera, and Burger King to promise cage-free eggs within the next decade.Peet's Coffee, the premium California-based coffee chain; and Einstein Bros Bagels, the New York City-based bagel and deli chain, will both go entirely cage-free by the year 2020.

"Peet's should be applauded for its commitment to improve the lives of animals in its supply chain," said Dr. Robin Ganzert, CEO of the American Humane Association, which runs the American Humane Certified program, the largest certification program in the United States for meat, dairy, and egg products. "By using third-party verification, Peet's is demonstrating it shares our common values of humane, compassionate treatment for farm animals."

The animal welfare issue of using cage-free eggs, however, has gotten some flak from animal rights activists, who claim that cage-free is not enough because it does not necessarily mean that the chickens are freely roaming in a barnyard. According to the FDA, cage-free means that the chickens have some access to the outdoors, but the extent to which they receive that access is not made clear.