No Eggs? No Problem! PETA’s Commando Chicks March to Athens for Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich Giveaway

For Immediate Release:
January 29, 2025

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Following the news that a commercial chicken farm in Georgia has been infected with bird flu, the PETA Commando Chicks are reporting for duty in Athens to give away 500 free vegan “egg” salad sandwiches made from healthy, delicious tofu—which is packed with protein and never caused a pandemic. Dressed in military outfits and combat boots, the radiant regiment will post up next to Chick-fil-A and across from the University of Georgia campus to strike back at the national egg shortage—just in time for lunch.

In November and December alone, 17.2 million egg-laying hens died or were killed as a result of the virus. Dozens of human cases have been reported and one man has died, and more than 43 million chickens have been killed nationwide since the start of the outbreak. Bird flu has also infected more than 900 herds of cows in the dairy industry.

“As long as chickens and other animals are cruelly crammed by the tens of thousands into filthy, tightly packed warehouses, the rampant spread of disease is inevitable,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA urges everyone to be a hero for animals and in the battle against bird flu and other pandemics by going vegan.”

Where: 105 College Ave. (at the corner of Broad St.), Athens

When: Thursday, January 30, 12 noon

Why: Chickens form complex social structures, dream when they sleep, and worry about the future, just as humans do. But hens used for egg production are crammed together inside wire-floored cages where they don’t even have enough room to spread their wings. At slaughterhouses, workers cut their throats—often while they’re still conscious—and scald many to death in de-feathering tanks.

PETA points out that breeding and raising animals for food creates hotspots for potentially deadly zoonotic diseases, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that three out of every four new or emerging infectious diseases in humans are transmitted due to contact with animals, primarily those used in animal agriculture. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help anyone thinking of making the switch.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.