THE DAILY COLLEGIAN
Cage-free egg battle rages
By Micah Wintner
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Cage-free egg activists continue to
argue that battery-cage eggs which
Penn State purchases are more vulner
able to Salmonella than cage-free eggs.
Though the Pennsylvania Egg Quality
Assurance Program (PEQAP) has kept
Pennsylvania's eggs safer than the rest of
the country's during the current nation
wide egg recall, cage-free activists are
pushing for change.
Nick Cooney, director of the Humane
League, a Philadelphia-based animal
activist organization, said nine independ
ent scientific studies done in the past five
years have shown that "without exception"
battery-cage facilities were more subject
to Salmonella than cage-free facilities.
But Penn State Director of Residential
Dining Lisa Wandel disagrees. Wandel
said there are many scientific-supported
arguments that battery-cage eggs are less
likely to have Salmonella because of the
controlled environment of the hens.
- Both sides are claiming statements
that contradict each other," she said.
Wandel said that whether an egg is
cage-free or battery-cage makes no differ
ence in terms of Salmonella, and it is the
"handling of the egg" that counts.
- We don't use raw eggs. We have fresh
ise oiliest is open to Penn State students enrolled at University Park. Staff members of Collegian publications and their immediate
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eggs come in that we hard-cook," she said.
Penn State has certain specifications
set on every product it purchases and
every egg is United Egg Producers-certi
fied, Wandel said. And Wandel said she is
"very comfortable" knowing where Penn
State's eggs come from and how the dining
hall staff is trained. But activists feel the
battle between cage-free and battery-cage
eggs goes beyond Salmonella.
"From a personal perspective, being
inside a battery-cage farm is literally the
most disgusting and sad place I've ever
been in," Cooney said.
The three reasons to switch to cage-free
eggs are animal welfare, food safety and
sustainability, Cooney said. Cooney is cur
rently helping Penn State students in their
petition efforts to have Penn State switch
to cage-free eggs. With more than 6.000
signatures currently, Cooney said he
hopes to reach 10,000 signatures.
Penn State has no current plans to
switch to cage-free eggs, Wandel said.
"There are false claims that cage-free
eggs are less likely to have Salmonella,"
Wandel said.
Until the science shows that battery
cage eggs are riskier than cage-free. Penn
State isn't making the change. Wandel
said.
To e-mail reporter: maws43B@psu.edu
Collegian Photo/Mike Ghourthian
Any Questions?
Call Photo Editor Steph Witt
or Photo Adviser Pat Little
Steph WitrCollegian
Michael Policelli (senior-materials science and engineering) walks on a tight-rope
between two trees on Old Main lawn Monday morning.
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