Emily Raap
From golf courses to gift bags, see how you helped call out Ahold Delhaize’s broken promises.
Ahold Delhaize made a promise to spare hens from cruel cages by 2025—and they’ve failed to follow through. While company executives have refused to act, hens remained trapped in conditions no living being should endure. So we brought the pressure to the fairway, the front page, and their front doors.
Nearly a decade ago, the parent company of Food Lion, Stop & Shop, Giant Food, and other major grocery chains promised to stop using cruel cages by 2025. But the deadline is here—and the company has since pushed it back seven more years. Hens are still trapped in filthy cages, and the
No update. No accountability. And no excuse that holds up.
So this summer, we showed up where they least expected us. We launched a bold, public subcampaign to expose their inaction—and bring the focus back to the living beings they’re failing.
Driving the truth home in Hershey
While executives gathered for a golf event in Hershey, Pennsylvania, we brought the pressure straight to the green.
We ran a full-page ad in The Sun, calling out three key decision-makers by name: Ira Kress (Giant Food), Roger Wheeler (Stop & Shop), and John Ruane (The Giant Company). The message? They’re still keeping hens in cages—and they can’t hide behind silence.
Then, we took to the skies with a massive airplane banner flying above all 11 golf courses in town, pointing people to A-HoleDelhaize.com, where the public could learn more and take action.
But we didn’t stop there. While hens remained locked in cages, executives got something else entirely:
- Personalized trophies for “Outstanding A-Holeness”
- Golf balls stamped with their names and calling them out for their failures
- Custom toilet paper (yes, really)
- A few other surprise goodies designed to leave a lasting impression
Corporate spin won’t spare hens
We shifted our focus to Ahold Delhaize’s US communications team in Salisbury, North Carolina—and to the person who’s supposed to keep the public informed: Christy Phillips-Brown, VP of Communications. With the cage-free deadline pushed back, her lack of accountability speaks louder than any press release ever could.
So we ran another bold ad, this time in the Charlotte Observer, urging her to do more—and reminding readers that when executives drop the ball, animals and customers pay the price.
And on National Asshole Awareness Day (July 18), we hit the streets outside Food Lion headquarters in Salisbury, North Carolina. With banners, chants, and calls too loud to ignore, supporters demanded action and transparency. This peaceful protest made it clear: consumer trust is on the line—and so are the lives of living, feeling animals.
They stalled—you went full swing
This campaign isn’t about shaming executives for the sake of headlines. It’s about holding companies accountable for the public promises they make and keeping the focus where it belongs: on the animals still suffering in cages, because of corporate inaction.
Every ad, every flyover, every protest is fueled by people like you. People who recognize animals as the living, feeling beings they are—and that companies shouldn’t be allowed to make empty promises with no consequences.
Together, we’re making it clear: hens can’t wait. And neither can we.
No time to putt around
We’re not done. More actions are already underway—and we’ll keep turning up the heat until Ahold Delhaize finally follows through on its commitment to spare hens from cages.
👉 Want to get involved? Visit A-HoleDelhaize.com to:
- Learn more about the campaign
- Sign the petition
- Share the message on social media
- Get updates on upcoming actions
Let’s keep showing these executives what accountability looks like—and what real compassion demands. This campaign works because of you. Let’s keep the pressure in play and hens off the sidelines.
