Tufts cares for the chickens.
Tufts has joined over 80 other colleges and universities in eliminating the use of liquid eggs from caged birds.
Patti Klos, Director of Dining and Business Services, said that a Tufts graduate working with Tufts Institute for the Environment (TIE) told her late last fall that universities could now purchase eggs from free-range chickens.
"The senior leadership in the department is committed to socially responsible and environmentally responsible decisions," Klos said. "It wasn't one of the things we were shooting for for the year, but it was an opportunity. So we started to do some research."
According to Dr. Annette Rauch Hordes of Tufts' Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts Dining Services previously purchased its eggs from farms where chickens lived in battery cages.
These conditions are so overcrowded that the birds cannot carry out their normal behaviors.
"These birds live in very cramped conditions, unable to spread their wings, unable to exercise, sometimes unable to comfortably lay down, unable to sit on perches, unable to groom properly and unable to dust bathe," she said.
Rauch said that the treatment of chickens in battery cages can only be improved if the public is educated on the issue and can therefore, like Tufts, change its purchasing behavior.
"No company will continue to produce a product if the public won't buy it," she said. "So, in this case, consumers have a lot of power if they act collectively."
After contacting several vendors and collecting data, Tufts Dining Services found that its distributor, Paul Marks, could also offer a cage-free option.
"We found out that Paul Marks can get us liquid cage-free eggs made by Papetti's [Eggs] from a farm in New York that are certified cage-free," Klos said.
Klos added that the farm is inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture and that its certification is reliable.
Tufts purchases three varieties of eggs from Paul Marks.
"We buy some eggs in a shell, which we use for fried eggs, mostly. We also purchase hard-boiled eggs, predominantly for the salad bar," Klos said.
Tufts uses liquid eggs the most, however.
According to Klos, a liquid egg is already cracked, pasteurized and put in a pail, reducing the labor for dining workers.
"It's a safer and more economical way for us to work with the product," Klos said.
"To have the most impact in the market, logic would follow that we should choose the type of egg that we use in the most volume," Klos said.
Along with her staff, Klos decided to eliminate the use of liquid eggs from caged birds, but "the eggs in the shell that we do order are not cage-free eggs," she said. "They are from traditionally harvested chickens. We haven't been able to make that switch yet."
According to Klos, Paul Marks still offers eggs from caged birds because eggs from free-range ones are more expensive.
"I don't know if there are even enough cage-free eggs out there right now. It takes more space to raise chickens in better conditions," she said.
Though the liquid cage-free eggs are more expensive than the liquid eggs previously used, the switch will have little impact on the Tufts budget, Klos said.
"The difference per pound between liquid cage-free eggs and traditional liquid eggs is about 10 cents more for cage-free eggs. We buy 25,000 pounds roughly in a year, so it's about $3,000 more on the budget, which is really an insignificant amount," she said.
A small increase in the price of eggs would most likely be offset by a decrease in the price of another product: "The truth is that we buy such a large volume of products that we can afford those kinds of changes," Klos said.
Klos said she has seen no negative impacts as a result of the switch, aside from the small increase in budget.
Because there is little to no difference in taste between caged and cage-free eggs, Environment Consciousness Outreach (ECO) board member Amanda Fencl said that Dining Services will need to publicize the switch to make students aware of it.
"I think [students] will respond positively," she said.
This year Dining Services has set other goals for environmental friendliness, including the purchase of biodegradable plates, cups, silverware and trash bags.
Klos said that a shipment of biodegradable plates has just arrived at the Hotung Cafe, and that many more sustainable species of fish have been featured at the dining halls' "Under the Sea" dinners this year.
Rauch said that individuals may also combat animal cruelty by contacting chicken producers directly with concerns about the chickens' welfare, and support animal welfare organizations that try to pass farm-animal-friendly legislation.
"I totally support Tufts' decision to buy eggs from free range chickens," she said. "I think it is a great example of the school engaging in morally responsible decision making. The school is using its buying power to ensure the improved welfare of chickens."
"Anything that can make Tufts more socially conscious and sustainable is great," Fencl added. "It's just total s--t what [certain farms] do to the chickens."
Tufts students surveyed seemed unfazed by the change. "I didn't notice the difference," junior Suzanne Horwitz said. "But if it makes a chicken's life better without worsening mine, then it seems good."
