The Wedge Co-op Implements Policy Against Selling Two of the Worst Factory Farm Products

The Humane Society of the United States Commends Minneapolis Co-op

Today, The Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest animal protection organization, commended The Wedge Co-op for formally implementing a policy against two of the worst factory farm abuses.

Minneapolis-based Wedge (www.wedge.coop) refuses to sell eggs from caged hens or pork from suppliers who confine sows in gestation crates. In addition to offering a wide variety of vegetarian options, by exclusively selling cage-free eggs and gestation crate-free pork, the company is taking a stand against two common agribusiness practices that are widely regarded as among the most abusive. The co-op sold more than 939,000 eggs and 49,000 lbs of pork in 2006. The Wedge Co-op is the largest single site consumer co-op in the country and the first certified organic retailer in the state of Minnesota.

Barth Anderson, Research & Development Coordinator for The Wedge Co-op, stated, "We've been doing business one-on-one with ethical, local farmers for decades. The Wedge Co-op has always offered a multitude of options for people looking for vegetarian and organic food, or eggs from chickens who aren't confined in cages so small they can barely move."

Paul Shapiro, Factory Farming Campaign senior director for The HSUS, commented, "The Humane Society of the United States commends The Wedge Co-op for helping prevent two of the worst factory farm abuses and for offering such a wide array of vegetarian options. By enacting these policies, the co-op is sending an important message: the intensive confinement of hens and pigs in cramped cages is inhumane and unnecessary. We encourage other retailers to follow its example."

Locally, University of Minnesota, Macalester College, Northwestern College, St. Cloud State University, and St. Olaf College have implemented cage-free egg policies on their campuses.

Facts

• U.S. factory farms confine nearly 300 million hens in barren battery cages that are so small, the birds can't even spread their wings. Each bird has less space than a single sheet of paper on which to live. The European Union has banned barren battery cages, effective 2012.
• Gestation crates are two-foot-wide metal cages that confine millions of breeding pigs for nearly their entire lives. The crates are so restrictive that the animals can't even turn around for months on end. The animals suffer both leg and joint problems along with psychosis from this extreme treatment.
• The market for vegetarian alternatives to meat products is expanding rapidly in the United States. Concern for animal welfare, the environment, and health are the three primary reasons cited by vegetarians for their food choices.

Timeline

• June 2007—Winter Springs, Fla., becomes the fifth city following Berkeley, Calif., New Port Richey, Fla., West Hollywood, Calif., and Takoma Park, Md., to unanimously pass a bill condemning battery cages and encouraging egg consumers not to purchase eggs from caged hens.
• March 2007—Burger King announces that it has started phasing in the use of cage-free eggs and pork from producers that don't use gestation crates in its North American locations.
• March 2007—Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck announces the implementation of a wide-ranging program to improve animal welfare in his supply chain, including not using battery cage eggs or pork from crated sows.
• January 2007—Smithfield Foods and Maple Leaf Foods announce that they are phasing out their use of gestation crates to confine breeding pigs.
• November 2006—In a landslide, Arizona voters pass an HSUS-led initiative banning gestation crates and veal crates in the state (effective 2013).
• September 2006—Ben & Jerry's announces that it will phase out the use of eggs from caged hens in all its ice creams.
• May 2006—Google implements an exclusively cage-free egg policy for its employee dining facilities.
• May 2005—Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Natural Marketplace announce that they have ended sales of eggs from caged hens.
• November 2003—The Better Business Bureau rules that it is misleading to label eggs from battery-caged hens as "Animal Care Certified."
• November 2002—Florida voters overwhelmingly approve an HSUS-led measure banning gestation crates in the state (effective 2008).

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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization—backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty—on the web at humanesociety.org.