Taco Bell, which has been resistant to change, to switch to cage-free eggs by the end of 2016

Taco Bell, one of the last major fast food franchises to commit to improving animal welfare practices, announced on Monday that it will switch to cage-free eggs by the end of 2016, Roberto Ferdman reports for The Washington Post. "Taco Bell, which has more than 6,000 restaurants throughout the U.S., sells close to 150 million eggs each year, which could be a boon for the cage-free egg industry. The shift will improve the lives of more than 500,000 hens, according to estimates by the Humane Society of the United States."

"The chances of Taco Bell committing to use only cage-free eggs seemed particularly unlikely given how the promise might affect its breakfast menu, which was first introduced last year," Ferdman writes. "The strategy has centered around novelty—there was a waffle taco, then a biscuit taco—and convenience: All of their offerings are easily eaten on the go, many with only a single hand. But its appeal has been predicated on price. Switching to cage-free eggs could compromise that, and with it, the chain's chance of elbowing out some room in the fast-food breakfast space." (Read more)