Indiana University currently buys eggs from cruel and unsustainable "battery cage" egg farms, massive warehouses where hens are confined to cages so small they cannot spread their wings and can barely turn around. Each hen has less space than a single sheet of letter-sized paper in which to live, and is deprived of the ability to engage in natural behaviors such as dust bathing, perching and nesting. They live among the feces and waste of other birds, and their feathers are often torn off due to constant rubbing against the cage bars. Battery cages are so cruel they have been banned in California and Michigan and throughout the European Union. In the U.S., the Center for Food Safety and the Consumer Federation of America have both supported a ban on battery cages due to the drastically increased risk of salmonella contamination and other human health risks.

Battery cage egg farms are also incredibly unsustainable and environmentally destructive. National environmental organizations like the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club, and the National Environmental Trust all strongly condemn battery cage egg farming for its destructive impact on the environment, and encourage consumers and schools to switch to cage-free eggs.

Hundreds of other schools around the country have made a switch to cage-free, including other Indiana institutions like Earlham College, Wabash College and Tri-State University, and other state schools like the University of Wisconsin, University of Minnesota, University of Texas, University of Missouri and others. Sadly Indiana University continues to purchase cruel and unsustainable battery cage eggs for our cafeterias.

It is very important that Indiana University's Dining Services hear from students and faculty who are concerened with this issue. Please sign the petition asking Indiana University to go cage-free!