Despite this, one in four of those surveyed said they would be too embarrassed to quiz their waiter about the welfare standards of farms their products come from. And instead of the younger 18-24 age group being more confident, the results show they are the most reticent, with nearly half (42%) saying they would be too embarrassed to ask. Therefore the RSPCA's Freedom Food has now launched postcards that customers can discreetly leave behind at the end of their meal. They can be ordered free of charge from www.freedomfood.co.uk/simplyask/getinvolved Charity spokesperson Caroline Gauntlett said: "We want people to 'Simply Ask' when they eat out. The more that ask about the source of the food they order, the more restaurants, pubs and cafes are likely to consider switching to higher welfare ingredients." In response to the new research, leading chefs Peter Gordon, Paul Merrett, Thomasina Miers and Antony Worrall Thompson issued a joint statement today saying: "A good restaurant, cafe or pub should be happy to tell you where they get their eggs, meat, fish and poultry from – and how the animal it came from was reared." "With so many more people eating out over the Christmas season we would like to encourage our customers not to be embarrassed and to ask – we are proud to be able to answer." Around two thirds of all eggs used in restaurants, pubs and cafes, whether whole, or in liquid form in products such as quiches and cakes, are still sourced from hens kept in battery cages. This compares to less than half of whole eggs produced for boxes sold in supermarkets that come from caged hens.