On Monday, Eric of TDIV posted his thoughts on the Denny’s Super Bowl commercials which feature egg laying chickens who become overwhelmed when they discover Denny’s is offering a free Grand Slam breakfast. Eric focused on the health implications of the breakfast writing, “Needless to say, ‘free’ is used loosely when describing this giveaway as the Grand Slam is anything but a home run when it comes to nutrition.”

Now Farm Sanctuary has released a statement about the ads that unknowingly acknowledge the suffering endured by egg-laying hens.

“In a surprise move, Denny’s, home of the Grand Slam breakfast, inadvertently delivered a powerful animal protection message to millions of Super Bowl fans during Sunday’s game between the Saints and the Colts,” Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary. “I say ‘surprise’ because it’s not every day that a major restaurant chain makes a public acknowledgement (and during the Super Bowl no less!) of the animal suffering that goes into the creation of their menu items, but that is precisely what Denny’s did with their ‘Chicken Warning’ ads.

“Although the scenes of egg-laying hens relaxing at home and playing pool couldn’t be further from the truth — they spend their entire lives on factory farms where they are packed so densely inside tiny wire cages and dark, filthy warehouses they can barely move or lift their wings — the spoken message that ‘it’s going to be a tough week for egg layers’ couldn’t have been more spot on. The cruel way these sensitive, intelligent birds, and all farm animals, are treated on America’s factory farms is incongruent with Americans’ values of compassion. When the announcer says ‘it’s a great day to be an American, bad day to be a chicken,’ we should remember that we are a nation that has always prided itself on fighting injustice and reaching out to those in need, rather than tolerating the torture and abuse of individuals less powerful than ourselves. Regardless of whether or not people found the ads humorous, Denny’s (however unintentionally) made the connection between animal suffering and the food on their menu, giving viewers a glimpse at the nasty truth behind eggs.”

Farm Sanctuary was founded in 1986 and is the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization.

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