College switches to cage-free eggs
Beginning this term, all of the shelled eggs served by Dartmouth Dining Services (DDS) are
being supplied by cage-free hens from Pete and Gerry's Organic Farm in Monroe,
N.H. Dartmouth is one of only 80 U.S. colleges and universities to switch to
cage-free eggs and is the first in the Ivy League to do so, according to
representatives from the Humane Society of the United States. DDS serves about
6,480 shelled eggs per week, more than 300,000 eggs per year.
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R. Tucker
Rossiter, director of DDS, worked closely with Sustainability Coordinator Jim Merkel to make
the switch. Rossiter acknowledges that cage-free eggs are marginally more
expensive than the "battery eggs" produced by chickens living in
small, tightly packed cages, but adds that the price increase isn't significant
when compared to the benefits of buying cage free.
"It's the right thing to do," says Rossiter. "It's a better
product, it's better treatment for the chickens, and it's better to buy
local." Rossiter added that in a blind taste test, he and other dining
services personnel preferred the taste of the cage-free eggs.
Merkel, who is currently at work on other initiatives to shrink the College's
consumption footprint, says that switching to cage free is part of the
Dartmouth's overall commitment to sustainability. "The primary step is
often local, in order to save on transportation impacts," says Merkel.
"Pete and Gerry's is a local New Hampshire business. From a sustainability
perspective, this supports the local economy and builds community by keeping
jobs in our area. It's really a win-win situation." Merkel adds that DDS
has demonstrated a commitment to sustainability and called the decision to go
cage free "a courageous and important step."
Paul Shapiro, factory farming campaign manager for the Humane Society of the United States, says of
the College's decision, "Dartmouth's switch to cage-free eggs is a
positive statement that animal welfare is an important part of social
responsibility. We applaud Dartmouth's support for improved animal welfare
practices, and we encourage other schools to follow its example."
Although all of the whole, shelled eggs used by the College will be cage free,
DDS will, for now, continue to purchase liquid blended eggs from conventional
vendors. According to Rossiter, the College plans to revisit the issue of
liquid eggs after reviewing its experience with the local, cage-free shelled
eggs.
By GENEVIEVE HAAS
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