Humane Society: IHOP’s eggs aren’t ‘cruelty free’

FRESNO, Calif. — The Humane Society of the United States filed complaints Wednesday against the International House of Pancakes, alleging that the restaurant chain lies about the living conditions of the chickens that lay the eggs for its omelets and pancakes.

IHOP claims that its eggs are “cruelty free” and animals used for its food receive “dignified, humane treatment.” The animal welfare group said that’s not true and filed complaints with federal regulators saying the Glendale-based company is engaged in “false or deceptive advertising.”

The complaints allege that the eggs for IHOP’s 1,421 U.S. restaurants come from chickens raised in cramped cages that do not allow them to stretch their wings, walk around or nest.

That doesn’t meet a consumer’s reasonable expectation of what “cruelty-free” means, the Humane Society said.

“Consumers do not consider it ‘humane,’ let alone ‘cruelty free,’ to confine hens for life so tightly in wire cages that they cannot fully spread their wings, as IHOP’s standards allow,” the group said in its complaint.

The Humane Society and its supporters have waged a long-running battle against the restaurant industry over the conditions in which chickens are raised. They have persuaded national food outlets such as Burger King Corp., Costco Wholesale Corp., Denny’s Corp. and Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc. to buy at least some of their eggs from producers that allow their hens to roam.

IHOP declined to talk about the egg issue, but spokesman Dan Ischy issued a one-sentence statement: “While we are not aware of any lawsuit, IHOP is committed to the humane and dignified treatment of animals in our food supply chain.”

The “social responsibility” section of IHOP’s Web site says “we are against the cruel treatment of animals” and that the company’s suppliers “go beyond what is required by law” to ensure animals are treated well.

The Humane Society says IHOP’s statements are misleading because there are no federal laws governing farm animal care and most IHOP suppliers operate in states where caged animals are exempt from cruelty laws.

The group is asking the Federal Trade Commission to stop the pancake chain from making the claims. A separate Securities and Exchange Commission complaint against IHOP’s parent company, DineEquity Inc., alleges that shareholders are being misled.

The Humane Society met with IHOP over the issue for the past month and said it embarked on a letter-writing campaign before taking legal action. Paul Shapiro, senior director of the Humane Society’s factory farming campaign, said IHOP officials declined to incorporate cage-free eggs into the their purchasing practices after meeting privately with him and others.

The animal welfare group’s Web site shows video taken inside a Minnesota barn operated by IHOP’s primary egg supplier. Live chickens are crammed into cages with dead ones, and others are tangled in mesh wire, unable to reach food and water.

“This is a California-based company, and Californians just took an historic vote where two-thirds of voters agreed that this type of extreme confinement of farm animals ought to be illegal,” Shapiro said, referring to last year’s passage of Proposition 2, which will ban cramped hen cages by 2015.

The Humane Society has been on a nationwide mission to improve the treatment of farm animals, including recent campaigns against the force-feeding of geese to make foie gras and the confinement of pregnant sows and veal calves in body-sized crates.

On the Net:

Humane Society of the United States: www.hsus.org

International House of Pancakes: www.ihop.com