John Lewis: setting the standard.

As a former employee of the John Lewis Partnership I already knew what a truly conscientious and forward thinking company they are. This has just been confirmed.

Before christmas I was having lunch in a John Lewis store and I noticed that the egg used for their omelettes was 'pasteurised egg' from the catering company brakes. Having worked in the catering industry, I know that unless specified as otherwise, eggs used will almost undoubtedly be from caged hens (want to know what the problem is? See here). They're cheap, and so is much of the food that catering companies supply. 

Knowing the commitment to animal welfare that the Partnership has, I was quite shocked by this. 

I wrote to them, and received a rather inadequate and ambivalent response. I obviously therefore wrote to them again. This time the results were much more promising (see picture below). They confirmed that since my first letter it has become possible for them to source free range pasteurised egg for use in their omelettes. 

Every decision like this, however small it seems, saves thousands of animals from living a life of pain and suffering.

Click to enlarge.

If only our biggest retailers shared even a fraction of their ethical code.