Your efforts to improve chickens’ lives are paying off! After conversations with Mercy For Animals and other animal protection organizations, Giant Eagle and Sprouts have agreed to eliminate some of the worst abuses for chickens—ensuring that birds have more living space, environmental enrichments, and better lighting and litter conditions and that they are not hung upside down while conscious in the cruel practice of live-shackle slaughter.
Giant Eagle, the 11th-largest supermarket chain, has pledged to take sweeping action to end some of the most abusive industry practices for its Nature’s Basket brand by adopting the Better Chicken Commitment, the leading set of standards to eliminate the worst conditions for chickens raised for meat.
This is the first time a major mainstream U.S. retailer has committed to such significant welfare standards for these birds.
And Sprouts, the 14th-largest supermarket chain, has committed to taking similar steps to stop the worst abuses for millions of chickens in its supply chain.
In addition to Giant Eagle and Sprouts, the largest U.S. supermarket chain, Kroger, has taken the first meaningful steps in addressing abuse in its chicken supply chain. While Kroger’s commitment does not go as far as that of Giant Eagle or Sprouts, it is an important mark of progress and a sign that the largest mainstream retailers in the country are beginning to take the problem seriously. Mercy For Animals will continue to work with these chains to improve and implement their new policies.
These commitments will reduce the suffering of millions of chickens and show that companies are finally taking notice of your efforts to hold them accountable. A growing number of people object to the abuse in the meat industry.
This is just the beginning.
Now that three of the largest supermarket chains have committed to reducing suffering for chickens, you can use this momentum to urge Costco to eliminate cruel practices from its supply chain.
Send a note to Costco executives. Tell them they are falling behind and that it’s time to improve their welfare standards.
Of course, one of the best ways to prevent the suffering of chickens and other farmed animals is to choose more plant-based foods. Order your FREE veg starter guide today!
