Sprouts Farmers Market and Whole Foods Market both received A grades on the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ inaugural Supermarket Scorecard released Monday, a resource that ranks U.S. grocery retailers on multiple farm animal welfare issues.
"At Sprouts, improving animal welfare is an ongoing process that is a fundamental part of our responsible sourcing efforts," said Brandon Lombardi, chief sustainability officer of Sprouts Farmers Market, in a statement.
They were the only two supermarkets researched to be acknowledged by the top designation.
"Since we first opened our doors over 40 years ago, we've continued to raise the bar on our quality standards, including our commitment to animal welfare as part of our higher purpose to nourish people and the planet," said Karen Christensen, SVP of merchandising for perishables & quality standards at Whole Foods Market, in a statement.
The report tracks supermarkets' commitment to eliminating farm animal confinement and other intensive practices from their supply chains while empowering consumers to shop from retailers aligned with their values, shared ASPCA. This year’s Scorecard targeted progress made in three key areas: cage-free eggs, gestation crate-free pork, and alignment with the Better Chicken Commitment—a set of standards at the heart of a global campaign to improve the welfare of chickens raised for meat.
Despite the growing public rejection of animal cruelty, most eggs, chicken, and pork products on American supermarket shelves still come from factory farms that rely on these practices. These industrial facilities raise large numbers of farm animals under inhumane conditions where their movements are extremely inhibited, shared the ASPCA.
"Supermarkets have immense influence over what we eat and how animals are treated. Consumers overwhelmingly reject cruelty to farm animals and want to know where their supermarket stands on these basic but critical welfare issues," said Nancy Roulston, senior director of corporate policy and animal scientist at ASPCA Farm Animal Welfare, in a statement. "It's time for retailers of all kinds to address unacceptable practices in their supply chains—to protect animals, support farmers using higher-welfare practices, and align their brands with the compassionate food system consumers demand."
Findings suggest that, while many major grocery stores have posted public policies to eliminate some forms of intensive confinement in their supply chains, many have stalled in fulfilling their promises, while others have not yet acknowledged the problem of farm animal cruelty in the food system.
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