Help Eggspose the Hard-Boiled Truth during “National Egg Month!”
By Erica Meier
Excerpts from May 2007 issue of
Herbivore magazine:
The egg industry’s busiest time of year is the Easter season. After the holiday,
“sales go down, but the hens keep on laying eggs,” says the American Egg
Board. In an effort to increase consumer demand for excess eggs and boost post-Easter
sales slumps, egg producers across the country celebrate May as “National Egg
Month.” What better way to take part in this 31-day eggs-travaganza than by
helping shed light on the hard-boiled truth of egg production?
Unscrambling the Truth
Behind virtually every “incredible, edible” egg sold in grocery
stores today is a hen crammed inside a wire battery cage so restrictive, she
can barely even move. Denied the opportunity to engage in many important natural
behaviors, these birds will never nest, forage for food, or even set foot on
solid ground. Instead, the nearly 300 million hens forced to spend their lives
confined inside massive egg factory farms across the U.S., are treated like
mere egg-producing machines. Egg-laying hens may not have a choice, but we do.
Start Making a Difference Today
The most effective step each of us can take to help laying hens is to
simply leave their eggs out of our shopping carts. But our ability to
affect change doesn’t end there. During “National Egg
Month,” please consider lending an extra hand to these smart
and social birds:
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Share egg-free foods and recipes with your friends and family. The best way to
win people’s hearts is through their stomachs. Whip up some
egg-less egg
salad for your friends, bring egg-free
chocolate chip cookies to work, or make
tofu scramble
for a family breakfast. For a variety of quick and easy
animal-friendly recipes visit VegRecipes.org.
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Encourage the FDA to mandate truth in labeling on egg cartons. There are
currently no federal regulations relating to the use of animal welfare claims
on egg cartons in the U.S. This permits producers to use claims such as
“animal-friendly” or “naturally raised” on cartons,
even if those eggs came from birds confined inside barren wire cages. Support
COK’s rule-making petition that would require egg producers to clearly
identify “eggs from caged hens.”
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Distribute flyers exposing the hard-boiled truth. COK’s newest
“Eggs
from Caged Hens” flyer not only uncovers the suffering endured by
egg-laying hens, but it also reveals how the egg industry is deceiving
consumers about that abuse. Order free copies today!
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Ask Morningstar Farms to stop using eggs. Morningstar Farms has long been a
leader in providing vegetarian foods to a growing market, but it continues to
support the cruel battery cage industry. Gardenburger, on the other hand,
has already removed eggs from all but one of its private-sourced items.
Visit Morningstar-Egg-Facts.com
to learn how you can help encourage Morningstar
Farms to offer more egg-free foods.
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Write a letter to the editor. An easy and effective way to help spread a
message of compassion is to write a letter to the editor of your local paper.
“National Egg Month” is the perfect time to let readers know about
the painful reality of egg production and the growing availability of
delicious egg-free foods.
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