MINNEAPOLIS – American Dairy Queen Corporation (ADQ) said the QSR chain is transitioning to egg products sourced from approved cage-free egg suppliers. The new policy applies to the chain’s suppliers in the United States and Canada.
ADQ expects to complete the transition to cage-free egg supplies by the end of 2025. However, effective in 2017 only companies with cage-free offerings will be considered as potential new suppliers for proprietary products used in the Dairy Queen system. The policy includes shell eggs and liquid eggs used for breakfast items in addition to eggs used as ingredients in DQ proprietary foods and dessert offerings.
“Once we decided to go cage free, we believed it was important to have a bigger program,” said William A. Barrier, Ph.D., ADQ executive vice president of Product Development/Quality, Research & Development. “Sourcing cage-free eggs for the breakfast program alone seemed to leave the job somewhat unfinished.”
Troy Bader, COO for the US and Canada, said the announcement represented an important step for ADQ.
“Having a sustainable supply chain is important to our fans and our company,” Bader says. “This is an important step for us. Thanks to our franchisees, supply-chain partners and dedicated employees, we are able to take this important step.”
Dairy Queen is among the more than 100 major food companies and retailers — most recently Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Aldi and 7-Eleven — that have committed to sourcing cage-free eggs.
