The Humane League, a global nonprofit organization that exists to end the abuse of animals raised for food, announces that quick service restaurant Carl’s Jr. is now sourcing 100% cage-free eggs for its 1,000+ U.S. locations. Carl’s Jr. listened to consumers across the country urging its parent company CKE Restaurants to report progress on their public commitment to remove cages from its egg supply chains by 2025. As Hardee’s has not publicly reported how close it is to fulfilling its cage-free egg commitment, the petition that currently has nearly 35,000 signatures, questions what CKE is hiding about Hardee’s egg sourcing practices.
“We’re pleased to see that CKE Restaurants have taken the demands of its customers seriously and stopped sourcing eggs from hens raised in cages for Carl’s Jr. Consumers want and deserve visibility into where their food comes from, and they especially don’t want to be lied to,” says Kelly Myers, Senior Director of Corporate Engagement, The Humane League. “While this is an important step forward for CKE, its customers are still confused as to why it isn’t being similarly transparent about the egg sourcing for Hardee’s locations. We urge CKE to report progress on its commitment to source 100% cage-free eggs for Hardee’s by 2025 or risk losing more consumer trust.”
Local customers who live in Franklin, TN where CKE Restaurants headquarters is, are speaking out: Ed Hodges, former Major League Baseball player with the Minnesota Twins and Franklin resident shared (video testimonial available): “I’ve been a fan and customer of Hardee’s for over 30 years. I like their breakfast biscuits with sausage, egg, and cheese, and I’m willing to pay more if it means less animal cruelty,” says Hodges. “I was disappointed to find out Hardee’s is involved in practices that are cruel to hens. They also promised to change this but have yet to follow through. This isn’t right—Hardee’s needs to do the right thing.”
Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s were included in the Cage-Free Eggsposé, an annual report released earlier this year to hold U.S. restaurants accountable to their cage-free egg commitments and inform consumers of which brands can be trusted. According to the egg industry itself, “2024 is the equivalent of ‘the witching hour’ for U.S. egg producers in the industry’s shift toward cage-free egg production,” as nearly every food company has a fast-approaching deadline to remove cages by 2025 or 2026.
As consumers become increasingly aware of the archaic conditions faced by egg-laying hens in cramped, filthy cages—each hen with no more room than the space of an iPad—the demand for cage-free eggs and corporate transparency continues to grow. In the U.S. eleven states have passed laws regulating the production and/or the sale of eggs from hens raised in cages.
Over 525 food companies have made commitments to go cage-free in the U.S., with more than 2,600 commitments worldwide. Nearly 40% of the flock of egg-laying hens raised in the U.S. are now free from cages—a significant increase from just 10.5% in 2014. Thanks to this industry movement, an estimated 70.1 million egg-laying hens in the U.S. will finally be able to spread their wings and stand on solid ground. For more information and to take action against the use of cages, visit EndCages.com.
