Cage-Free Eggs Campaign Takes Off; HUDS Meeting Is in the Works

If the popularity of the Facebook group “Cage Free Eggs at Harvard”— which boasted 244 members as of yesterday evening—is any indication, Harvard students care about the origin of their eggs.

Two weeks ago, AnnaLise S. Hoopes, a first-year student at the Graduate School of Education, initiated a campaign for cage-free eggs with the creation of the online group and a flurry of e-mails to undergraduate listservs.

Hoopes argued that although it results in cheaper eggs, battery cage egg production—in which chickens are raised in wire cages stacked in tiers and lined in rows—is inhumane. Hoopes said that in such operations, hens are confined to a standing space of 67 square inches, often resulting in broken bones and mangled feet.

Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) currently buys its eggs from battery cage farms. According to Steve Rivers, a cook in Annenberg Hall, the freshman dining hall uses about eight gallons of eggs per day.

Crista R. Martin, a spokeswoman for HUDS, said yesterday that she did not yet have enough information to comment on the cage-free eggs issue. Last spring, Dartmouth College became the first Ivy League institution to switch to cage-free eggs. Princeton University also began serving cage-free eggs in its dining halls this year.

According to a report published by the Humane Society of the United States, cage-free egg production costs between 8 to 24 percent more than battery cage egg production, which translates to an increase in production cost of about 3 to 12 cents per dozen eggs.

Hoopes and her supporters have written a letter to HUDS urging them to switch to cage-free eggs. The letter recognizes HUDS’ other efforts to promote environmental sustainability and commends its Food Literacy Project.

Any student can sign his or her name to the petition by requesting a paper copy of the letter or by filling out an online poll. According to Hoopes, over 600 students have signed the petition, and around 95 percent of the signatories are undergraduates.

A handful of campus activists have been writing individual letters to HUDS and spreading the word to students.

Robert J. Ross ’09, one of the activists who collected signatures in front of the Science Center on Friday, said of the student response, “I don’t think we’re necessarily creating a lot of support that wasn’t there so much as centralizing it in one campaign.”

The students have not yet met with HUDS, but according to Hoopes, an appointment with HUDS Executive Director Ted A. Mayer is in the works for this coming week. By the time of this meeting, Hoopes said she hopes to have garnered 1000 signatures to her letter.

One student who has publicly criticized the campaign for cage-free eggs is Adam B. Hilkemann ’07, who responded to a Dunster House list e-mail sent by Sophia P. Snyder ’07, a supporter of cage-free eggs. Hilkemann told The Crimson that cage-free eggs are “ridiculous” and that he doesn’t think there is a big difference between battery production eggs and cage-free eggs.

“Even if there was a substantive difference,” he added, “I don’t think it’s cost-effective. They’re animals. They’re meant to be eaten.”