Have you heard? Notre Dame Campus Dining has officially made the switch to freshly-cracked eggs from cage-free hens! Considering we use approximately 1,329,894 eggs annually, this is quite the change—one that applies to all of our whole egg needs across campus! You might ask if we have hired additional staff to crack all of these eggs for the dining halls and catering. No, in fact, we have not. We now have machines in place, which can crack up to 2000 eggs per hour, at North Dining Hall, South Dining Hall, and the Center for Culinary Excellence!
Why have we changed? We believe that fresh eggs taste better than the ones which are pre-cracked for us, and also have cleaner labels (i.e. no additives, preservatives, etc.) since they won't be sitting in a freezer or on a shelf for any extended amount of time.
One more bit of information—Cage-free eggs, as defined by the Humane Society of America, come from "hens who are able to walk, spread their wings and lay their eggs in nests," which are "vital natural behaviors denied to hens confined in cages."
Whether they're fried, scrambled or in an omelet, come in and taste the difference for yourself. Don't be shy, share your thoughts with us in person or on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)—we'd love to hear from you!