McDonald's breakfasts just got an egg-cellent boost.
The Chicago-based burger chain announced earlier this month that it has fully switched to using 100% cage-free eggs in all U.S. restaurants. According to a post, McDonald's met their goal two years ahead of schedule.
"Exciting news for breakfast fans," the post read in part. "We’re proud to announce that McDonald’s has met its goal of sourcing 100% cage-free eggs in the U.S. by 2025, two years ahead of our original timeline."
The post went on to say that the switch is part of McDonald's effort to prioritize "health and welfare" of animals in its supply chain.
According to the post, McDonald's made the decision in 2015 to switch to purchasing cage-free eggs in the U.S.
McDonald's
"On a cage-free farm, hens are housed in an open environment that allows birds freedom to express their natural behaviors and includes enrichments such as perches, scratch areas and nests," the announcement said. "Each McDonald’s-supplying egg farm in the U.S. has an attending veterinarian who helps lead training and education for the staff to help ensure a high level of care."
The chain said it uses Minnesota-based food supplier and producer Cargill and their egg producers to help scale their cage-free egg operation.
According to the company, McDonald's in 2023 purchased six billion eggs. Eggs are used in many of McDonald's breakfast meals, including the iconic Egg McMuffin, Bacon Egg & Cheese Biscuit, Sausage, Egg & Cheese McGriddles and Sausage Burrito.
McDonald's has made several other menu and ingredient changes in recent months, including tweaking their burger recipes, phasing out self-serve soda stations, and eliminating some bakery menu items. During an investor event in late 2023, the chain said it plans to open nearly 10,000 additional restaurants over the next four years.
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