How do you like your eggs at Penn State? Scrambled? In an omelet? Fertilized? How about full of animal cruelty? According to Cage-Free Penn State,

Penn State University’s Dining Services currently buys eggs from cruel “battery cage” egg farms – massive warehouses where hens are confined to cages so small they cannot spread their wings and can barely turn around. They often live among the feces and waste of other birds, and their feathers are torn off from constantly rubbing against the cage bars. Battery cages are so cruel they have been banned as criminal animal cruelty in several states and condemned by the ASPCA and Humane Society of the US.

Whoa! That is really dangerous! Student activists have currently been pushing for Penn State’s Dining Commons to make the switch to cage-free eggs. However, in a Collegian article, Director of Resident Dining Lisa Wandel said that

“One thing we did find is that all of our egg vendors meet [United Egg Producers] certification and animal welfare standards.”

This certification dictates guidelines for housing, cage size, chicken treatment, and other sanitary procedures which are recommended for egg producers.

On the other hand, eggs that come from battery cages are three times more likely to be contaminated with salmonella as a result of the disgusting living conditions. Battery cage farms have been deemed and condemned as unsustainable by environmental organizations such as the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

According to Cage-Free Penn State’s website, hundreds of other colleges have made the switch to cage free, including state universities in Arkansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Vermont, and Virginia, as well as most major universities in Pennsylvania, including Carnegie Mellon, Drexel, and the University of Pennsylvania.

So go ahead. Sign the petition. Let’s make Penn State cage-free.

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