Caged Humans Ask Lunardi’s Supermarket to Oppose Cruel Farming Practices

Belmont, Calif.-- A life-size chicken cage--confining humans instead of birds--will be on display at Lunardi's Supermarket as East Bay Animal Advocates (EBAA) asks the Bay Area-based grocery chain to stop selling eggs from chickens raised in overcrowded, wire cages (known as battery cages):

Date: Sunday, June 10, 2007
Time: Noon - 1:30 PM
Location: 1085 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont

As a high-end grocery chain, Lunardi's proclaims its purported commitment to excellence: "We can explain our prices, but we don't ever want to have to justify our quality." However, EBAA documented shocking conditions at Lunardi's egg suppliers. Citing concerns over animal care, EBAA revealed its findings of intensive animal confinement to President Paul Lunardi in September 2006. Despite continual public outcry over animal welfare and product quality, Lunardi's refuses to enact an exclusive cage-free egg policy.

Last month, Rainbow Grocery became the first San Francisco-based retailer to oppose cruel egg industry practices. Lunardi's Supermarket is the lead competitor of Andronico's Market, which stopped selling eggs from caged chickens in October 2006. Both Rainbow Grocery and Andronico's Market have joined a growing national network of cities, educational institutions, farmers, and retailers that oppose the intensive confinement of laying hens -- a notoriously cruel yet common egg industry practice.

Each year over 19 million egg-laying hens in California are raised in concentrated confinement to produce eggs for consumers. According to the California Poultry Workgroup, the vast majority of egg-layers in California are confined to tiny cages. Each bird is limited to less than 67 square inches of space for her entire life.

East Bay Animal Advocates (EBAA) is an animal protection non-profit organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. California is home to one of the most industrious and concentrated animal agriculture areas in the world. Through consumer education, corporate outreach, direct aid and legal research, EBAA analyzes the impact of the California agricultural industry on animals, humans and the environment.

For more information: http://www.LunardisAbuse.com

Video footage is available to the media.

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