Letter to the editor: Tired of high egg prices? Stop eating eggs
Egg prices have tripled in some states in the past year, largely because of the slaughter of nearly 58 million birds sickened by bird flu.
Yet, no price can possibly justify the cruelty inherent in egg production. When chicks are hatched, all "useless" males are ground up alive or suffocated in large plastic bags. The "lucky" females are crammed five to a wire cage the size of a folded newspaper, where they are unable to spread their wings or display other normal behaviors. The wire floor cuts painfully into their feet, as the walls tear out their feathers. When their egg production drops after 18 months, they are simply ground up for pet food.
But there is more. Eggs contain saturated fat and cholesterol, key factors in incidence of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes. They frequently carry food-borne bacteria, including Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria, and Staphylococcus, which account for 1.3 million US illnesses and 500 deaths annually.
Entering "egg-free" in a search engine returns tons of recipes for delicious, compassionate, healthful, eco-friendly egg substitutes and egg-free food products.
Paul Bucks, East Stroudsburg
Got something to say?
Send us a letter by emailing your submission (up to 300 words) to afontones@gannett.com, or letters@poconorecord.com. Letters including inflammatory language or hate speech are not accepted. Approved submissions receive a headline from editorial staff.
Are 300 words not enough? We are accepting guest opinion submissions!
Guest contributors can submit ideas for My Turn columns to managing editor Ashley Fontones by emailing afontones@gannett.com. Submissions should be no more than 700-1,000 words and typed. Inflammatory language and hate speech is not accepted. Submissions receive a final style edit and headline from editorial staff.
Read more of the best in local and regional, state, and national opinion online at poconorecord.com/opinion and tricountyindependent.com/opinion.
We look forward to hearing from you!
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Letter: Egg prices are on the rise. Try going egg-free
