... in its cafeterias.

The Humane Society of the United States today pointed out a decision by Compass Group, which describes itself as the "world's leading food-service company with annual revenues of $19.5 billion," to use only eggs from cage-free chickens.

Compass Group named Microsoft as one of its example clients in a press release issued today.

The cage-free egg policy will be phased in during the next three months. Some 48 million eggs will be affected each year.

Compass' decision won praise from the Humane Society.

"It gives farm animals reason for hope this holiday season that one of the worst factory farming abuses is on its way out," Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society, said in the release.

Compass is careful to note that cage-free and cruelty free are not the same thing:

"[C]age-free hens generally have 250-300 percent more space per bird and are able to engage in more of their natural behaviors than are caged hens. Cage-free hens may not be able to go outside, but they are able to walk, spread their wings and lay their eggs in nests -- all behaviors permanently denied to hens confined in battery cages."