Diners in East Midlands urged to choose higher welfare when dining out this Easter

Dear Editor,

With Easter approaching, many in the East Midlands will be enjoying a meal out with family or friends. But what most don’t realise is that cafes, restaurants and pubs may be serving up imported, low-welfare eggs laid by hens kept in conditions that have been illegal in British farming for more than a decade.

While battery cages were banned in the UK in 2012, food venues are still legally allowed to use imported eggs from hens kept in these cruel conditions. This may come as an unpleasant surprise to many – our research shows that 71% of people in the East Midlands were not aware that some UK cafés, restaurants, and food manufacturers in the UK use imported eggs from hens kept in lower-welfare conditions, such as battery cages, which are banned in UK food production.

Shockingly, there is no requirement for venues to disclose to their customers where eggs are sourced or how they were produced. Research shows that 82% of people in the East Midlands check labels on supermarket eggs, and 79% agree that food venues should be required to tell customers where the animal products they use come from Yet only a quarter (26%)of those who consume eggs say that, when dining out, they ask about how the eggs used in their food were produced.

This “out of sight, out of mind” loophole means we may be unknowingly supporting lower-welfare practices we would never accept in our weekly food shop.

The good news is that you can help make a difference by simply asking venues where their eggs come from. Choosing restaurants, pubs and cafes that prioritise higher-welfare sourcing, such as those with the RSPCA Assured label, helps support UK farmers and protects animal welfare.

Kelly Grellier
Chief commercial officer, RSPCA Assured