Google takes up cage-free eggs

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060511-050257-1508r

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 11 (UPI) --
California-based Google, one of the hottest companies
around, has embraced a hot trend in animal rights --
cage-free eggs.

The company will require that all of its cafes and
cafeterias serve only the pricier cage-free eggs, the
San Jose Mercury News reports. Google uses about
300,000 eggs a year along with 7,000 pounds of liquid
egg products.

Animal-rights activists charge that caged chickens --
sometimes called battery-raised, because the cages are
piled high -- have miserable lives during their
productive egg-laying months, confined six to a cage
with only 67 square inches of floor space per chicken.
Egg farmers say caged chickens are just as happy as --
and healthier than -- those raised outdoors or in open
barns.

Google is jumping on a bandwagon that already includes
America On Line and Bon Appetit Management, a catering
company serving a number of Silicon Valley companies.
Several universities have also pledged to serve
cage-free eggs.

"There's a ripple effect that I think will happen,"
said John Dickman, Google's food service manager.
"Other companies also will want to ensure humane
treatment of animals."