Taco Bell to Switch to Cage-Free Eggs

Yum Brands Inc. said Monday its U.S. Taco Bell restaurants will to switch to using cage-free eggs by the end of next year, joining other fast-food chains that have already announced similar commitments.

The food industry has faced growing criticism in recent years from animal-welfare advocates and some consumers over the practice of confining egg-laying hens to small cages, as well as pressure to adopt more humane practices for the animals used for meat.

McDonald's Corp., the leading fast-food chain for breakfast, in September said it would stop using eggs from chickens raised in cages in the U.S. and Canada over the next decade.

Several years ago, Burger King said it would move to cage-free eggs by 2017, and Starbucks Corp. and Panera Bread Co. have committed to shifting completely to cage-free eggs by 2020.

Advocacy groups have criticized Yum, which owns KFC and Pizza Hut in addition to Taco Bell, for moving slowly to change its eggs policy and other areas of sourcing, such as limiting its use of meat from animals raised with antibiotics.

Taco Bell said it has been strategizing for several years on its eggs policy, and that its transition will be faster than those of competitors, with its 6,000 U.S. locations shifting to cage-free eggs in just 12 months.

Taco Bell, which launched a nationwide breakfast menu last year, is a smaller user of eggs than some rivals. The chain says its uses about 130 million eggs a year. McDonald's, by comparison, says it uses 2 billion.

Write to Annie Gasparro at [e-mail]

Access Investor Kit for "Yum! Brands, Inc."

Visit http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=US9884981013

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 16, 2015 10:15 ET (15:15 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2015 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.