Petitioners want Wegmans to only sell cage-free eggs

Misty Edgecomb, Democrat and Chronicle Staff writer

(October 15, 2005) — A digital petition drive aimed atconvincing Wegmans Food Markets Inc. to sell onlycage-free eggs is going live in Rochester.

Members of the University of Rochester VegetarianEducation Group are now collecting signatures oncampus, at local events and on public sidewalks nearWegmans stores in hopes of convincing the grocerychain to change production methods at its Wolcott eggfarm, the largest in New York.

"It's a way of getting the message across in areasonable way," UR-VEG spokesman Hoss Firooznia said.

Local activists — including three who are awaitingtrial for breaking into the egg farm to film adocumentary — have criticized Wegmans for its use ofcages that they describe as cruel. Last month, inresponse to pressure from UR-VEG members, theUniversity of Rochester pledged to buy only free-rangeeggs for its cafeterias.

But Wegmans says that its store-brand eggs go above and beyond federal requirements for animal welfare and that local stores already offer consumers two brands of the pricier cage-free eggs, in addition to its own eggs from the Wolcott farm.

"Consumers already have that choice," Jo Natale, director of media relations for Wegmans said.

The group has collected 200 signatures in Rochester and 700 online (at http://urveg.org). The effort will continue through the end of the year, Firooznia said.

MEDGECOMB@DemocratandChronicle.com