IKEA Canada to serve only cage-free eggs

IKEA Canada has announced that it will only be serving cage-free eggs in all its IKEA Canada restaurants as of November 2016.

“At IKEA, we want to improve our contribution to a better everyday life through a wider offering of delicious, healthy food that is sustainably produced and well-priced. We trust this latest transition to offering cage-free eggs in all our restaurants will be meaningful to our customers while influencing the advance of animal welfare,” says Danielle Beauchesne, IKEA Canada Country Food Manager.

According to an IKEA press release, the decision was made because IKEA believes that good animal welfare practices is an important criteria for high-quality food products, and offering cage-free eggs is integral to its food offering.

Cage-free eggs means the hens are housed in an open concept barn where they can move about freely with nests and perches to lay their eggs. IKEA Canada restaurants also offer chicken on the menu, and according to IKEA, these chickens are raised on Canadian farms following organic practices, with birds enjoying a diet of non-GMO, pesticide- and herbicide-free grains, with no animal by-products added. These chickens are never treated with antibiotics and, like all chickens raised in Canada, are raised without the use of added hormones.

“We are pleased to support IKEA in their transition to serving only cage-free eggs in their restaurants in Canada. IKEA sets an impressive standard for businesses wanting to give their customers humane and wholesome options,“ says Josey Kitson, executive director, World Animal Protection. “They know that people want food choices that better reflect their core values including sustainability, positive impact, compassion and health. Making the switch to serving only cage-free eggs can deliver that. We applaud IKEA for giving hens in Canada a better life.”