An animal welfare group has launched an e-mail and telephone campaign to stop famed restaurant chain Din Tai Fung from using eggs hatched in allegedly cruel conditions.
Din Tai Fung uses factory-farmed eggs for a fried rice dish priced at NT$290 (US$9.23) per plate, Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan deputy chief executive Chen Yu-min (陳玉敏) said on Wednesday.
Factory farms put hatching hens in small cages with a floor space about the size of an A4 piece of paper, which is contrary to chicken’s natural instincts to groom, range and nest at high places, resulting in unnecessary suffering, Chen said.
“Din Tai Fung’s business decision each day condemns thousands of hens to live in crowded cages to endure miserable conditions as living, egg-laying machines,” she said.
The decision to use factory-farmed eggs is odd when the company makes about NT$2 billion annually and its venue in London has exclusively used cage-free eggs since last year, Chen said.
That the company treats Taiwanese and British consumers differently is discriminatory, she said, adding that society had only made the reasonable demand for the franchise to make a commitment to phase out factory-farmed eggs.
For the past year, Din Tai Fung has only given vague responses when asked about the practice, saying it has to take costs into consideration, conduct test menus or weigh market acceptance, which are delaying tactics, she said.
“For a brand that prides itself on quality, Din Tai Fung’s unwillingness to set policy goalposts for transitioning to cage-free eggs as we have requested is disappointing,” she said.
“Consumers should write or call to press the franchise to source its eggs from humane farms,” she said.
Din Tai Fung issued a press release on Thursday, saying the media have used images of factory farms that do not reflect the conditions of Fu Yuan poultry farm, its supplier, which is certified for quality and using climate-controlled, lighted and aerated cages.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
ENHANCING EFFICIENCY: The apron can accommodate 16 airplanes overnight at Taoyuan airport while work on the third runway continues, the transport minister said A new temporary overnight parking apron at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is to start operating on Friday next week to boost operational efficiency while the third runway is being constructed, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The apron — one of the crucial projects in the construction of the third runway — can accommodate 16 aircraft overnight at the nation’s largest international airport, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told reporters while inspecting the new facility yesterday morning. Aside from providing the airport operator with greater flexibility in aircraft parking during the third runway construction,
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would
RSS