Centerplate, the leading event hospitality provider for sports, entertainment, and convention centers across North America and Europe, today announced that by January 2015, all of the 600,000 shelled eggs purchased annually by the company in North America will be sourced from cage-free hens.
“In the last year, we have tripled the use of cage free eggs in our operations,” said Paul Daly, Vice President of Procurement for Centerplate. “Based on our current purchasing plan, we will have completed the transition by the end of this year.”
Centerplate’s European operations had previously transitioned to cage-free eggs prior to 2012, and the company has been offering cage-free eggs as an option for clients in North America for several years. Cage-free whole eggs will become the standard for all shell egg purchases, effective January 1, 2015. In consultation with the Humane Society of the United States, the company will also begin to phase-in the exclusive use of gestation crate-free pork.
“We welcome Centerplate’s work continuing to move the egg and pork industries away from confining animals in small cages,” said Josh Balk, food policy director, farm animal protection of The Humane Society of the United States.
In 2014, Centerplate’s meat-free menus at AT&T Park in San Francisco were also recognized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), earning the title of “Most Vegetarian-Friendly Ballpark in Major League Baseball.” That was quickly followed by buzz about the vegan offerings at the new Levi’s® Stadium in Santa Clara, already called “The Most Vegan-Friendly venue in the NFL.”