When compassionate consumers learn about the suffering routinely inflicted on farmed animals, many decide to withdraw their support of the abusive meat, egg, and dairy industries. Now, a recent news article shows that MFA’s groundbreaking investigations and effective outreach efforts may be playing an important role in reducing egg consumption in the United States.Writing for The Wall Street Journal, reporter Ian Berry covered the woes currently facing the egg industry. He noted the demand for eggs is steadily declining and that the U.S. Department of Agriculture says egg consumption has dropped every year since 2006. Egg farms are now even losing money around Easter, which is typically the third-busiest time of the year for the industry. What’s more, USDA economist David Harvey predicts the usual post-Easter curtailment in egg production will be even greater this year – sparing countless hens from suffering in battery cages.
While no one factor can explain the egg industry’s predicament, MFA’s investigations into factory egg farms and hatcheries have certainly helped to shine a spotlight on inhumane practices, such as searing off chicks’ beaks, cramming hens into tiny wire cages, and grinding unwanted male chicks alive. Our eye-catching egg recall demonstrations and extensive coverage of last summer’s salmonella scare at Iowa egg farms also alerted consumers to the public health risks of factory egg farms.
More and more people are choosing to forgo eggs for health and ethical reasons, so now is the perfect time to replace the eggs in our diets with humane vegan alternatives. Be sure to check out ChooseVeg.com for hundreds of mouth-watering, egg-free recipes and watch this cooking video with helpful tips for baking without eggs. Bon appétit!