- Target:
- National School Lunch Program & U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Region:
- United States of America
- Website:
- www.usatoday.com
Spent hens= hens from the egg-laying industry who are too old, weak, or sick to keep producing eggs and are rid of.
Spent hens are often heard of as being used in pet food, but no ordinary consumer would go out and purchase this meat which holds a different texture, and a different form of cruelty involved in the process.
But now the truth is circulating about where spent hen meat also ends up at- school lunches. That means elementary, middle, and high schools alike.
According to a USA Today article:
"From 2001 though the first half of 2009, USA TODAY found, the government spent more than $145 million on spent-hen meat for schools — a total of more than 77 million pounds served in chicken patties and salads. Since 2007, 13.6 million pounds were purchased. "
Campbell's Soup won't even purchase spent hen for their products, citing "quality considerations".
Though the USDA now purchases less than 10% of spent hen meat processed nationwide, they are still purchasing it. We would like to encourage them for the sake of the health of our school children, please stop purchasing the meat of spent hens!
To Learn More:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-12-08-hen-meat-school-lunch_N.htm
http://www.awfc.ca/english/works/pub/disposehens.htm
We who have signed would like to ask the USDA and the National School Lunch Program to completely shut off their purchases of spent hen meat. It is dangerous, and there is a higher risk of salmonella especially when there is a lack of proper cooking of the meat.
Whether you choose to add more vegetarian and vegan options, or to purchase from different companies, we would like to ask that you no longer purchase the meat from egg-laying hens whose time has run up.
Some of us would like to add our comments and personal opinions and ask that you please read them and consider what we have to say.
We thank you for your time and consideration!
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Stop Using Spent Hen Meat! petition to National School Lunch Program & U.S. Department of Agriculture was written by Cheyenne Givens and is in the category Miscellaneous at GoPetition.