Investigation Exposes Extreme Filth and Animal Cruelty at Marriott Egg Supplier’s Farms
Shocking investigation shows feces-covered cages, flies crawling over eggs, animal abuse; non-profit Lever calls on Marriott to treat Asian customers equally
Washington DC — Shocking video footage released this morning shows extreme food safety risks and animal cruelty at farms of an egg supplier to Bethesda-based hotel chain Marriott International. The footage shows:
- Feces and dirt caked on the bars of cages where eggs are laid, and feces piled up just inches away from eggs and from the birds themselves
- Flies crawling over eggs, and eggs coated with feces
- Mother hens packed in cages so small they can barely turn around, with feathers scraped off their bodies
“It’s a disgrace that Marriott is serving Asian guests eggs from cruel battery cages,” said Nick Cooney, Director of the U.S.-Asian non-profit Lever槓桿, which released the investigation. “At farms of this Marriott egg supplier, animals live in cages caked with feces, flies crawl over eggs, and mother hens are packed in cages so small they can barely turn around. Marriott needs to stop discriminating against Asian customers. They deserve the same treatment as customers in the U.S.”
Marriott publicly pledged that it would be using only cage-free eggs worldwide by 2015. But while Marriott has switched most of its U.S. eggs to cage-free, it has broken its promise and failed to keep its word in Asia. Other leading hotel chains and food companies, such as Wyndham, Starbucks, Kellogg’s and Nestle, have set real public timelines for going 100% cage-free in Asia.
“Lever槓桿 has provided Marriott with a list of hundreds of cage-free egg suppliers across the region,” said Cooney. “Why is Marriott feeding Asian guests eggs from a supplier whose farms are so filthy and cruel they would violate U.S. laws? Marriott seems to think Asian customers don’t deserve the same quality as customers in the U.S.”
The “battery cages” used on this Marriott egg supplier’s farms represent one of the cruellest factory farming practices in existence. They are so cruel to animals they have been banned in Michigan, California, Massachusetts and several other states, and in over two dozen countries. Every mainstream animal protection organization, including the Humane Society, ASPCA and World Animal Protection, encourages companies to remove cages from their egg supply chain.
The European Food Safety Authority and over a dozen scientific studies have also found that caged egg farms have up to 25 times greater risk of salmonella contamination compared to cage-free farms.
Lever槓桿 is a U.S.-Asian non-profit animal protection organization with operations in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United States.
To view the investigation and download high-resolution videos and photos, visit:
