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McDonald's transitioning to cage-free eggs in US, Canada

McDonald’s USA annually purchases approximately 2 billion eggs, and McDonald’s Canada buys about 120 million eggs to serve on its breakfast menus. All of those eggs will be cage-free within the next 10 years.

September 9, 2015

McDonald’s today announced that it will fully transition to cage-free eggs for its nearly 16,000 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada over the next 10 years.

"Our customers are increasingly interested in knowing more about their food and where it comes from," McDonald’s USA President Mike Andres said in a company press release. "Our decision to source only cage-free eggs reinforces the focus we place on food quality and our menu to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations."

McDonald’s USA annually purchases approximately 2 billion eggs and McDonald’s Canada purchases, 120 million eggs to serve on breakfast menus, which includes breakfast sandwiches. Since 2011, McDonald’s USA has been purchasing more than 13 million cage-free eggs annually.

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

Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, a family owned and operated farm in Michigan, has worked with McDonald’s for decades to supply eggs, the release stated.

"Cage-free systems play an important role in our work to keep hens healthy and meet the growing consumer demand for responsibly-sourced food," Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch Executive Vice President Greg Herbruck said. "We welcome McDonald’s actions to continue these efforts and are pleased to join them in sourcing cage-free eggs across their supply chain. We continue embracing new technologies and strategies to ensure our hens are well-cared for."