Written by PETA Ever since half a billion eggs were recalled
because of a salmonella outbreak, people have been talking about
food safety regulations. Animal welfare issues have been
mentioned, but they need to be considered more seriously. The
following are some facts to help you tell the hens' side of the
story: There's cruelty in every carton of eggs:Ninety-nine
percent of hens used by the egg industry are confined to filthy,
crowded battery cages. In June, the owner of one of the egg
farms involved in the recall—and of the company that supplies
chickens and chicken feed to both farms implicated in the
outbreak—pleaded guilty to cruelty to animals and paid more than
$130,000 in fines and restitution following an undercover
investigation by Mercy for Animals. Salmonella spreads like
wildfire on factory farms:Under squalid factory farm conditions,
it's easy for salmonella bacteria—which live in the intestines
and feces of animals—to spread from bird to bird and from birds
to people. Vegan foods don't natural