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Costco Cracks to Public Pressure Regarding Cage-Egg Cruelty

Costco Cracks to Public Pressure Regarding Cage-Egg Cruelty

While cage-free is certainly NOT cruelty-free, Costco’s renewed commitment to ending the use of battery cages in its supply chain is a sign of the times that consumers are becoming more and more aware of industrialized animal farming cruelty.Credit for this pledged improved treatment of hens goes primarily to HSUS, when it exposed the hellish living conditions inside one of Costco’s egg supplier’s facilities with an undercover investigation. Costco stands as one of the world’s largest grocery retailers. In 2007, the retailer had publicly stated its support for completely eliminating the use of cruel battery cages and stated it expected cage-free facilities from its suppliers. Yet, all through the years including throughout 2015, Costco continued to sell eggs from caged hens, despite its promise.We’d like to thank the thousands of you who took action by signing our alert in July to hold Costco accountable to live up to its 2007 statement to go cage-free. If the food giant had hoped what it said would not be matched with what it did, and its promise would be forgotten,it was sadly mistaken.

For too long, large industries have been able to use and abuse the animals they enslave, doing whatever they want to line their own pockets, and always at the expense of suffering animals, but that era of non-accountability seems to be drawing to a close.

Currently in the U.S., over 90% of eggs sold are supplied by industrial caged egg farms. These are intensive factory farms, where each hen is forced to suffer in a wire prison so small that she can’t even extend her wings, her muscles and bones waste away from lack of use, she suffers respiratory disease from constant exposure to ammonia fumes and fecal dust, and she develops raw flesh sores over her body from rubbing against harsh wire. Caged for life, she suffers absolute mental and physical torture in confinement.

Regardless of the label any business has put on the animal products it sells to make consumers feel like it’s acceptable (cage-free, humane, etc.), know that animals always suffer.

To read Costco’s new public statement regarding its caged egg supply chains, click here.

If you’d like to learn more, please download our free electronic vegan starter kit here.

Watch the HSUS undercover investigation here.

At IDA, we are grateful for each and every one of you who acknowledges the suffering of animals and does not contribute to it by purchasing animal products.

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