Kids Ask First Lady to Switch to Reusable Plastic Eggs for Easter Egg Roll

For Immediate Release:
April 15, 2014

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

PETA has just released a new video—titled “Michelle Obama, We Need to Talk”—in which a group of young girls puts the first lady in a “time-out” to think about the ramifications of wastefully using thousands of hens’ eggs every year in the White House Easter Egg Roll.

“I’m not mad—I’m just disappointed,” the kids begin, taking on the “mother” role of a typical mother-daughter talk. “Think for a second how many chickens had to spend their whole lives in a cage to lay those eggs, never seeing the sunshine.” They add, “You’re planning another Easter Egg Roll with real eggs, aren’t you? Just because all the other first ladies have done it doesn’t mean you have to!”

The girls go on to tell Mrs. Obama, “I don’t care who started it—you’re ending it,” citing the egg industry’s cruelty to mother hens who spend their whole lives in tiny cages and pointing out that switching to plastic eggs that could be reused every year would cut down on the event’s waste—a point that is reiterated in the letter that PETA sent to the White House this morning. PETA’s letter, which appears below, also points out that cholesterol-packed eggs are out of line with the first lady’s Let’s Move! health and fitness initiative.

Dear Ms. Obama,

I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 3 million members and supporters to urge you, with all due respect, to use reusable plastic or ceramic eggs instead of hard-boiled chicken eggs at the White House Easter Egg Roll.

For chickens on egg factory farms, Easter is not a time of renewal or joy. It can take up to 34 hours in typically hellish conditions for a hen to produce just one of the thousands of eggs slated to be used at the Easter Egg Roll. Furthermore, encouraging the consumption of cruelly sourced, unhealthy eggs is inconsistent with the goals of the “Let’s Move!” initiative. Eggs are laden with saturated animal fat and cholesterol, which are primary contributors to some of our nation’s top killers, including heart disease and strokes. One single large egg contains more cholesterol than two Big Mac sandwiches do. It’s the wrong message to send to children.

Please take a few moments to visit http://peta.vg/1f28 to watch a special video message made for you by a group of kids who are hopping mad about animal abuse in the egg industry. I hope that after hearing their message, you will implement a new, humane tradition at the White House by using synthetic eggs that don’t require any animal to suffer. Here’s wishing you and your family a very happy Easter.

Respectfully yours,
Ingrid E. Newkirk
President