Rocky Road Ahead for Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream

Since this column first ran, The Humane Society of the United States announced that Ben & Jerry's has, at long last, agreed to phase in the use of cage-free eggs over a four-year period!!

I have a confession to make:  I adore Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream. There’s something about this tempting treat laced with chunks of chocolate and cherries that always kick my taste buds into high gear.

Imagine my surprise, then, to learn recently that Ben & Jerry’s is in the news:  not for its decadent desserts, but for allegations of animal cruelty. According to a press release issued by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) earlier this month, the company – long known for being socially-responsible and in favor of small-scale family farmers – continues to buy eggs from large, industrial factory farms that confine egg-laying hens in tiny wire enclosures known as “battery cages.” In communications with The HSUS dating back to November 2005, Ben and Jerry’s officials repeatedly pledged to phase out its use of eggs from hens cruelly confined in cages that are stacked several tiers high with as many as 150,000 hens in a single barn. Yet, as recently as last week, the company reneged on its promise to switch to cage-free eggs.

This announcement has officials at The HSUS crying fowl.

“The eggs bought by Ben & Jerry’s – perhaps as many as 30 million a year – are produced from hens crammed into wire cages where the living space for each animal is smaller than the size of an 8-1/2” x 11” sheet of paper,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS.  The fact is, there is a cage-free alternative that is available now, and Ben & Jerry’s has no excuses for offering up a pint of pain to tens of thousands of animals.”

I’ve lived in some cramped quarters – mostly during my college years – but this is ridiculous. It’s hard to swallow the fact that Ben & Jerry’s is responsible for such wanton cruelty, especially considering the fact that the company’s European headquarters refuses to use eggs from caged birds, admitting in an annual report that, “battery cage housing systems don’t meet our best case scenario for animal welfare.”

I sent an email message to the company’s headquarters and received this response from Rob Michalak, Director of Social Mission: “We're actively looking into the pros and cons of all available options and will determine a course of action as soon as we believe we've found the best solution.”

While Rob contemplates his choices, thousands of birds continue to suffer in silence. The public needs to squawk about this issue and here’s how:  call Ben & Jerry’s at (802) 846-1500 between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, EST or send an email to https://community.hsus.org/campaigns/US_2006_benjerrys_eggs01 and urge the company to keep its promise to stop supporting battery cage cruelty.

Until the day that the king of ice cream makes the commitment to become cruelty-free, I’ll sadly bid a fond adieu to my beloved Cherry Garcia. 

Karen will no longer be screaming for ice cream as long as Ben & Jerry’s continues to hold hens hostage. You can send your condolences and chocolate to Karen at karenleestevens@cox.net.

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