A life-size chicken cage-- confining humans instead of birds-- will be on display at Lunardi's Supermarket in Danville on Saturday, August 4th 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). The protest will be from 11:30 AM- 12:30 PM at 345 Railroad Avenue, Danville.

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.

Lunardi's Supermarket is the lead competitor of Andronico's Market, which stopped selling eggs from caged chickens in October 2006. In May, Rainbow Grocery became the first San Francisco-based retailer to oppose battery cage egg production. 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.

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