McDonald's has announced that they will fully transition to using cage-free eggs to its close to 16,000 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada, according to a press release issued by McDonald's.
The fast-food chain plans to fully transition within 10 years.
The New York Times adds that the move marks the latest push of McDonald's under CEO Steve Easterbrook to reinvent the company as a "modern progressive burger company."
The fast-food chain has been under pressure to revive slumping sales and the latest move may help the company with the growing sensitivity among customers to animal welfare issues.
Mike Andres, president of McDonald's USA, said in the press release that their decision to transition of using only cage-free eggs "reinforces the focus" they place on "food quality and their menu."
"Our customers are increasingly interested in knowing more about their food and where it comes from," he said.
Marion Gross, senior vice president and chief supply chain officer of McDonald's North America, said in the press release that the company is proud of their work with "farmers and suppliers to advance environmentally and socially conscious practices for the animals in their supply chain."
"This is a bold move and we're confident in our ability to provide a quality, safe, and consistent supply," she said.
Paul Shapiro, the vice president of farm and animal protection of the Humane Society of the United States, told The New York Times that the move is a "real watershed moment."
"It makes it clearer than ever that cages just do not have a future in the egg industry," he said.
Shapiro told The New York Times that the Humane Society has been pressing McDonald's for the past 10 years to switch to cage-free eggs.
Animal welfare activists have long called for the banishment of battery cages that confine hens to spaces so small that they can barely move.
