Bruegger’s Bakery-Café has instituted a new policy for its Washington-area bakeries, a move that’s drawing praise from The Humane Society of the United States as a good step in improving animal welfare. Effective Jan. 1, Bruegger’s began using only cage-free eggs at all five of its bakeries in the District of Columbia and Virginia.

This move is an expansion of Bruegger’s work with The HSUS, which began in 2007 when the company instituted the cage-free egg policy in its Wisconsin, Vermont, and Western Massachusetts locations. The HSUS’s campaign against farm-animal cruelty is urging businesses, schools, and consumers to stop using eggs from hens cruelly confined in tiny “battery” cages.

“The Humane Society of the United States is pleased that Bruegger’s is moving away from using eggs from caged hens, which helps reduce the suffering of farm animals,” says Paul Shapiro, senior director of The HSUS’s factory farming campaign.

Bruegger’s Vice President of Marketing Paula Doyle says, “Bruegger’s corporate philosophy of social responsibility is underscored by our work with The Humane Society of the United States; therefore, we are pleased to expand our cage-free egg initiative to Bruegger’s D.C. area bakeries.”