Cage-free chickens in a barn near Hershey, Pa., get to roam and perch on steel rods (but they don’t go outside). In September, McDonald’s said it would buy only cage-free eggs, inspiring several other food companies to follow suit.
Dan Charles/NPR
Animal welfare advocates got major traction this year pushing for cage-free eggs.
In September, McDonald’s pledged it would move to 100-percent cage-free eggs in its supply chain. And while the movement was already underway, this announcement seemed to really set off a domino effect.
Some of the biggest egg producers in the U.S., including Rembrandt Foods, pledged allegiance to cage-free. Packaged good behemoths like Nestle and fast food chains like Subway did as well. (See the list of…