Whole Foods Deserves Whole Praise for Anti-Factory Farming Leadership
There can be no question that, among all major companies in the supermarket sector, Whole Foods Market has been the leader on animal welfare. It's typically been a first adopter of new vegetarian and vegan food products, and in the process made plant-based eating a far more mainstream and practical notion. Whole Foods has had no small part in the success of start-ups like Gardein, Hampton Creek and Beyond Meat, which got shelf space at Whole Foods and then were able to scale up and gain greater market access throughout the entire food retail sector.
Whole Foods also chose not to sell foie gras or live lobsters on animal welfare grounds, and years before any other marketplace actors, it prohibited the sale of eggs from caged hens or pork or veal from crated animals. So many subsequent decisions from major food retailers about ending the purchasing of eggs or pork from caged or crated animals got a lift from Whole Food's success in demonstrating that such corporate policies were workable in the marketplace. In short, it said that some common agricultural and commercial fishing practices are beyond the pale and don't deserve to be represented in the meat case or on the shelf.
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Whole Foods also chose not to sell foie gras or live lobsters on animal welfare grounds, and years before any other marketplace actors, it prohibited the sale of eggs from caged hens or pork or veal from crated animals. So many subsequent decisions from major food retailers about ending the purchasing of eggs or pork from caged or crated animals got a lift from Whole Food's success in demonstrating that such corporate policies were workable in the marketplace. In short, it said that some common agricultural and commercial fishing practices are beyond the pale and don't deserve to be represented in the meat case or on the shelf.
More...