Humane Society Blasts Publix Over Caged Hens, Publix Fires Back

The Humane Society of the United States wants Publix to make sure 100 percent of its eggs come from cage-free hens. The Lakeland-based supermarket chain says it offers lots of cage-free options, but has its reasons for not rushing headlong into a policy change. Patch file photo

LAKELAND, FL — Lakeland-based Publix Super Markets is under fire from the Humane Society of the United States for its continued sale of eggs that come from caged hens. The animal rights advocacy group says Publix is the country’s sixth-largest grocery chain and the only one among the Top 25 without a “cage-free transition policy.”

Hoping to nudge Publix into adopting a policy, the Humane Society has launched an online initiative. It has dedicated a section of its website to targeting Publix, prompting supporters to contact the grocery chain directly and the society itself for “talking points.”

As to why the issue is such a major concern for the Humane Society, Paul Shapiro, vice president of animal farm protection, offered some insights.

“Locking birds in cages is among the most abusive types of factory farming in our nation,” Shapiro told Patch. “Each caged bird has less space than an iPad on which to live for her entire life. It’s hard to imagine a more miserable existence.”

Shapiro said he’s unsure just why Publix hasn’t adopted a policy to end the sale of eggs from caged hens, but insists “the company can and should do better.”

Publix spokesman Brian West says the company understands “that there are customers who want the food industry and all retailers, including Publix, to offer only 100% cage-free shell eggs as soon as possible.”

Publix, West said, takes animal welfare seriously.

“We have been diligently working with our egg suppliers, industry leaders, governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations to better understand the feasibility of converting our shell egg supply to completely cage-free while meeting customer demand, remaining affordable, and maintaining animal health and safety,” West said.

Even so, there are mitigating factors Publix needs to address, he stressed.

“The higher costs and retail price associated with cage-free eggs, the speed of this industry change, current WIC regulations preventing the purchase of cage-free eggs, and the potential inability of smaller farmers to make the large necessary investments causing them to go out of business,” West said. “We understand the high standards expected of us and will continue to work to provide our customers with quality products and a variety of choices, while ensuring food safety and animal welfare.”

At present, Publix does offer a number of egg brands that are cage-free, West said. Those brands include Publix GreenWise, Eggland’s Best, 4 Grain, Country Hen, Handsome Brook Farm and Pete & Gerry’s. In addition, Publix intends to soon introduce a new “Grade A Large cage-free egg called Sunups in the majority of our stores that will be less expensive than some of the cage-free eggs offered today," West said.

Publix, West said, is also dedicated to allocating more shelf space to cage-free options “as our customers purchase more cage-free eggs.”

“Once again, we are confident that our customers will lead us to the right product assortment with their purchases,” he said. “We appreciate the trust our customers place in us to do the right thing and we work hard to live up to that responsibility. We are committed to moving forward with this effort.”

For more information about the Humane Society of the United States’ cage-free effort, visit the organization’s website.