The happy egg co., San Francisco, announced plans to expand its flock of Free Range hens by around 80% to ensure that it can provide an uninterrupted supply of high-welfare, quality eggs and to help overcome some of the severe shortage troubles faced in the egg industry and other specialty sectors. The happy egg co. will add 125,000 hens to the overall laying flock.

"The pace at which the happy egg co. is growing and the support of our retailer partners and consumers has been amazing," says David Wagstaff, chief operating officer of Noble Foods Inc., the Canada-based parent company. "We believe everyone should have access to Free Range eggs from hens that roam outdoors every day, and are pleased to continue toward this goal by expanding our flock."

The happy egg co. continues to invest in additional production to ensure consumers can enjoy Free Range eggs anytime. This positive step for the happy egg co. comes at a difficult time for the U.S. egg industry, with California "Prop 2" rulings going into effect in 2015, severe shortages across organic and specialty egg categories and shortages of chicks for laying hen farms across the nation. Hens at the happy egg co. enjoy the freedom to roam across more than four acres of open pasture.