Berkeleyan

Letter to the Editor

07 December 2006

Thanks to the Berkeleyan for its coverage of the sustainable-dining options available on campus ("Celebrating Thanksgiving, Berkeley-style," Nov. 16). As a College of Natural Resources graduate, I'd like to applaud Cal Dining for its switch away from the use of eggs from caged hens.

By moving away from the cruelty inherent in caged egg production, Cal is in good company: Bay Area grocery chains such as Andronico's, Whole Foods Market, and Wild Oats Natural Marketplace have ended their sales of eggs from caged hens.

And other Northern California schools such as Stanford, University of San Francisco, and Santa Clara University - as well as more than 100 others nationwide - have enacted policies to eliminate or greatly reduce their use of eggs from caged hens in their employee cafeterias.

These businesses and schools have ample reason to be concerned about the mistreatment of egg-laying hens. Factory farms confine birds in cages so small, they cannot perform many of their most important behaviors, including spreading their wings or even walking. Each bird has less space than a sheet of paper in which to spend her entire life.

Kudos to Cal Dining for reaffirming Berkeley's commitment to sustainability by implementing a more socially responsible policy for its dining operations.

Erin Williams '00, Outreach Coordinator
Factory Farming Campaign
The Humane Society of the United States
Washington, D.C.