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Burger King uncaged . . . a little

The burger chain says it will start buying 2% of its eggs and 10% of its pork from suppliers who don't cage the animals. Doesn't sound like much, but it's a significant philosophical change — and BK says it'll use more as supply becomes available.

TEXT OF STORY

LISA NAPOLI: Burger King says it’s going to do start buying its eggs and pork from suppliers who don’t cage the animals. At least, some of them. We asked Alisa Roth to find out if this is anything more than a big PR stunt.


ALISA ROTH: For now, only 2 percent of the eggs Burger King buys will come from cage-free hens, and only about 10 percent of the pork it uses will come from farms that don’t keep pigs pent up in crates.

The country’s second-largest burger chain says it will use more as it becomes available.

Analyst Dennis Lombardi of WD Partners says it’s more than a PR stunt.

DENNIS LOMBARDI: Consumers are becoming more aware and more vocal about all types of ingredients that restaurants are using and how those ingredients are sourced.

Burger King is among the many fast food chains that have been harassed by animal welfare groups for their sourcing. Lombardi says Burger King’s announcement will help . . .

LOMBARDI: Make sure that the people who are concerned for animal rights feel better about the brand and the way the brand is sourcing animal products.

Even the small percentages translate into a lot of eggs and pork. Each year, Burger King’s North American stores use more than 40 million pounds of eggs and more than 35 million pounds of pork.

In New York, I’m Alisa Roth for Marketplace.

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