Egg Saga - a win on battery eggs16 September 2011
Saga has agreed to switch from battery eggs to barn eggs thanks to an activist's letter-writing campaign.
After discovering that Saga served battery eggs on all its cruises, Elizabeth Medler wrote to demand better.
Now Saga says it'll switch to barn eggs. Barn eggs come from chickens that are still kept in large sheds, but with slightly better welfare conditions such as perching space and nesting boxes.
I was surprised that a company with a good reputation like Saga was clearly more concerned with cost effectiveness than ethics. I was shocked that they used battery eggs in the meals on their cruise ships, and disappointed with their original response. Now they've agreed to switch to barn eggs I am pleased, but it ought to be free range.
Elizabeth Medler, Hampshire
It might not be the ideal situation, but it goes to show how much power consumers really have.
Companies care about and respond to consumer wants. We should demand better food from our shops, restaurants and holiday companies.
Intensive farming damages environments and rural communities both at home and abroad.
When you're tucking in to a slice of chocolate cake, buying an egg sandwich from your local shop, or eating breakfast on holiday - ask where it came from.
And next time you see a company putting their profits before the planet, why not write to them to ask for better?
Or take our online action to ask supermarkets to provide planet-friendly food.
© Friends of the Earth
