• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health

2

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it

3

The Great Recession’s missing children are finally bringing college’s financial crisis into sight. Welcome to the ‘enrollment volatility’ era

1

'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health

2

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it

3

The Great Recession’s missing children are finally bringing college’s financial crisis into sight. Welcome to the ‘enrollment volatility’ era
Retail

Undercover Video Shows Shocking Animal Cruelty at Eggland’s Best Supplier

By
Michal Addady
Michal Addady
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Michal Addady
Michal Addady
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 22, 2016, 5:42 PM ET
Photo courtesy of Mercy For Animals
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

This story has been corrected. See below.

Mercy For Animals is a nonprofit dedicated to animal welfare that is best known for publishing investigative, undercover videos. The group published its latest video on Wednesday, this time targeting leading egg distributor Eggland’s Best.

The footage was obtained by an MFA investigator who went undercover at Briarwood Farms, a supplier for Eggland’s Best, between February 29 and May 12, 2016. The whistleblower worked at nine Briarwood facilities, each one containing tens of thousands of birds according to MFA estimates.

What he saw was disturbing. Birds fall into manure pits where they get stuck for days without food and water, essentially just waiting to die; they are physically abused by the workers; and on a daily basis you can see dozens of dead hens strewn amongst those still laying eggs, which could potentially be a breeding ground for disease. In fact, studies have found that there’s an increased risk of salmonella in caged egg production.

Conditions were so bad that MFA filed a criminal complaint against Briarwood with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office in Washington, where the facility is based. The complaint, obtained by Fortune, accuses workers at Briarwood Farms of first degree and second degree animal cruelty. It cites numerous instances in which chickens were forcefully hit over the head with various objects, including a metal scraper tool and a broomstick, and details how they mishandled the hens by “roughly grabbing them by a single wing and violently shoving them into garbage cans”—which can be seen in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt8Zs3C4G-E

A statement by Briarwood Farms vice president Mark Oldenkamp said that they are not taking this video lightly. “We have noted several instances of hen mishandling in the video, and I am deeply disappointed to see those actions,” Oldenkamp said. “Upon learning about the video, we immediately began an internal investigation and initiated requests for prompt and rigorous independent reviews.” He added that a third party audit by UEP Certified is already under way.

Criminal complaint aside, the video is focused on Eggland’s Best rather than Briarwood, ending the video by saying, “Join me in urging Eggland’s Best to end this disgusting animal abuse.” It positions the egg producer as being behind in transitioning from caged eggs to cage-free.

While MFA notes that other large companies like McDonald’s, Kroger, and Walmart have committed to going cage-free within the next decade, Eggland’s Best would actually be the first egg producer to do so. So far only retailers and restaurants have made that commitment.

According to Bart Flaugh, Eggland’s Best director of quality assurance, the company is actually ahead of its peers. The rest of the egg production industry averages about 10% cage-free eggs; for Eggland’s Best, it’s 20%. Flaugh added that the company is working to expand its cage-free production, though the market can’t currently support a total transition.

As for the video, Flaugh called it “disturbing,” and said that the company is investigating the matter thoroughly. Briarwood, which supplies Eggland’s Best with “1% or less” of its eggs, has been a supplier for over 20 years, and so far it has had a “flawless record” regarding animal care and passing audits. While Flaugh said that “it’s hard to totally discredit them as a supplier after all these years,” if it turns out that the video actually is representative of the farm workers’ conduct, “they would be discontinued as a supplier. We just can’t tolerate any animal abuse.”

However, Flaugh did express some skepticism about the video saying, “It seems a little bit like this is a set up.” He said that MFA had contacted Eggland’s Best numerous times prior to publishing the video. The company was told that if it publicly commited to cage-free eggs, then the narration would be spun in favor of Eggland’s Best by telling the audience that the egg production company was making the effort to transition to cage free; if not, it would be spun the other way.

When asked about Eggland’s Best’s accusation, MFA responded with the following:

We believe consumers have a right to know where their food comes from and how animals at Eggland’s Best suppliers are treated so they can make informed choices. That is why we released the video and are calling on Eggland’s Best to stop supporting blatant animal abuse in its egg supply chain by committing to going 100% cage free. If Eggland’s Best does commit to taking this stand against animal abuse, of course we would praise them. Until then, we will continue to let their customers know that Eggland’s Best eggs come from tortured hens.

A previous version of this article stated that the MFA investigator worked at one Briarwood Farms facility with about 20,000 hens. He actually worked at nine facilities, each one with tens of thousands of birds.

About the Author
By Michal Addady
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Retail

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Retail

‘I didn’t want a refund, I didn’t want my money back’: meet a grandma who paid $485 for World Cup tickets and never got them
Travel & LeisureSoccer
‘I didn’t want a refund, I didn’t want my money back’: meet a grandma who paid $485 for World Cup tickets and never got them
By R.J. Rico, Emilie Megnien and The Associated PressJune 20, 2026
20 hours ago
A man helps a woman pick meat in the grocery store
EconomyFood and drink
Beef is becoming a luxury as prices stay at record highs. They likely won’t come down until 2028, says Farm Bureau
By Jacqueline MunisJune 20, 2026
22 hours ago
Record revenues. Record profits. Record revenue per employee. The Fortune 500 is richer than ever—and employing fewer people
EconomyFortune 500
Record revenues. Record profits. Record revenue per employee. The Fortune 500 is richer than ever—and employing fewer people
By Claire ZillmanJune 19, 2026
2 days ago
A shopper looks at a beverage display June 4, 2026 at the Market 32 Supermarket in South Burlington, Vermont.
EconomyConsumers
Miserable K-shaped economy might actually be fading, as lower-income families bounce back, says Bank of America
By Eleanor PringleJune 19, 2026
2 days ago
Piyush Patel
Commentaryshopping
Black Friday already sorted the winners from the losers. Your industry is next
By Piyush PatelJune 19, 2026
2 days ago
Thasunda Brown Duckett, TIAA CEO, speaks onstage during a live taping of "Earn Your Leisure" at Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College on January 22, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
FinanceFortune 500 Companies
Meet the 11 Black Fortune 500 CEOs leading companies with over $432 billion in combined revenues
By Cheyann HarrisJune 19, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health
Health
'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health
By Ali Swenson, Amelia Thomson-Deveaux and The Associated PressJune 20, 2026
17 hours ago
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
Environment
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
By Sydney LakeJune 19, 2026
2 days ago
The Great Recession’s missing children are finally bringing college’s financial crisis into sight. Welcome to the ‘enrollment volatility’ era
Economy
The Great Recession’s missing children are finally bringing college’s financial crisis into sight. Welcome to the ‘enrollment volatility’ era
By Tristan BoveJune 20, 2026
1 day ago
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says electricians and plumbers will be needed by the hundreds of thousands in the new working world
Success
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says electricians and plumbers will be needed by the hundreds of thousands in the new working world
By Preston ForeJune 20, 2026
22 hours ago
A new trade war may be brewing. This time, Europe is taking a page from Trump's playbook — 'We no longer live in a world of pink ponies and rainbows'
Economy
A new trade war may be brewing. This time, Europe is taking a page from Trump's playbook — 'We no longer live in a world of pink ponies and rainbows'
By Jason MaJune 20, 2026
12 hours ago
Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars
Success
Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars
By Preston ForeJune 17, 2026
4 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.