Earlier this week, Burger King announced major shifts in its egg and pig products, stating that the company will be sourcing only from cage-free suppliers by 2017 as it becomes the first major fast-food chain to make such a commitment.

The Humane Society of the United States has released video footage taken earlier this year of an undercover investigation conducted at a Pennsylvania egg factory owned by Kreider Farms. The footage reveals shocking animal abuse, filth and rotting corpses at one of the nation's largest egg factories.

Iowa Legislature approved a bill last week making it the first state to criminalize clandestine or undercover activity used to collect footage of animal abuse occurring on factory farms. The decision has led to an outcry of concern from animal welfare groups, some of which have successfully aided in the criminal prosecution of abusers caught on tape acquired covertly.

The Bon Appétit Management Company announced a commitment to stop serving pork products from pigs raised in controversial gestation crates and any eggs from egg-laying hens raised in battery cages all of its 400 locations in 31 states.

A bill introduced to the House last week could mean major housing upgrades, if you're a chicken. Titled H.R. 3798, the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012, the bill was crafted in partnership by the Humane Society of the United States and United Egg Producers.

Grocery giant Safeway has announced it will increase sales of cage-free eggs—from 6% to 12%—over the next 2 years.

The decision follows a study published last month in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization, which reveals that California’s Proposition 2—legislation passed in 2008 that outlaws cages for hen-laying eggs by January 2015—had “a significant effect on consumer preferences for eggs, increasing demand for cage-free and organic eggs by 180% and 20%, respectively.”

The study shows that “the very act of putting an issue like Prop 2 on the ballot affects consumers’ preferences—likely because consumers are largely unaware of, and have incorrect beliefs about, modern agricultural practices,” concludes author Jayson L. Lusk, PhD, a professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University.

Dr. Lusk found that, despite higher prices, demand for cage-free and organic eggs increased 180% and 20%, respectively, in response to news stories about Prop. 2, even as overall egg demand remained the same.

“California egg producers have an opportunity to thrive by meeting this demand and abandoning cruel cages,” says Jennifer Fearing, who managed the YES! on Prop 2 campaign for the Humane Society of the United States.

Safeway’s 1,712 North American stores include the Vons, Pavilions, Dominick’s, Genuardi’s, Carrs and Randalls grocery chains.

At Thursday’s meeting of McDonald’s shareholders, Paul Shapiro, senior director of the Humane Society of the United States’ factory farming campaign, urged the fast food chain to decrease its use of eggs from caged hens.

Most competitors, including Burger King, Wendy’s, Carl’s Jr. and Sonic, have gone cage-free, but egg products sold by U.S. McDonald’s restaurants come from hens confined to battery cages—enclosures so small that birds cannot spread their wings or move freely.

In contrast, cage-free hens have 200% to 300% more space per bird, the Humane Society notes.

McDonald’s stores in the UK have already gone the cage-free route, and franchises throughout the European Union will follow suit this year.

To jumpstart a transition in the United States, the Humane Society specifically proposed that the chain, with 13,000+ American locations, commit to procuring 5% of its eggs from cage-free suppliers by next January. This meant Ronald McDonald could continue to buy 95% of his eggs from regular suppliers.

But the board urged shareholders to vote against the resolution, arguing it “would not enhance our existing policies and practices regarding the welfare of egg-laying hens and is not in the best interests of shareholders.” (Translation: McD’s makes less money, as a cage-free egg costs about 14 cents more, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.)

The board added: “As we have examined this issue over the years, we have deter­mined that there is no agreement in the global scientific com­munity about how to balance the advantages and disadvantages of laying-hen housing systems.”

Not so fast.

Numerous studies indicate cage-free hens contribute to a safer food supply, and reputable independent research organizations like the Pew Commission have long urged agribusiness to phase out inhumane production practices.

“McDonald’s could reduce the suffering of the hens in its supply chain by starting to phase in cage-free eggs in the U.S.,” Shapiro says. “Consumer trends, legislative activities, McDonald’s competitors and even many McDonald’s operations outside the U.S. all favor cage-free egg production.”