Whole Foods Market to Phase Out Live-Shackle Slaughter

Whole Foods Market has become the first major US retailer to commit to phasing out live-shackle slaughter across its major chicken suppliers. It will do so for the chickens raised for all of its 487 US locations by 2026, sparing tens of millions of birds from a brutal end that's the single greatest cause of animal suffering in slaughterhouses today. This means that Whole Foods Market is now the first national US retailer to adopt all standards of the Better Chicken Commitment. These standards include a limit on stocking density; litter, lighting, and enrichment requirements; third-party auditing; a shift away from using rapid-growth chicken breeds with significant health issues; and a transition from live-shackle slaughter to controlled atmosphere stunning.

Live-shackle slaughter is the most common method of slaughtering chickens. In this nightmarish sequence, a chicken is violently shackled and yanked upside down, potentially breaking her legs. Then her head is dragged through an electrical bath that's meant to knock her unconscious, but too often fails. Her throat is cut by a machine, and while blood pours from her neck, she's dropped into a tank of scalding hot water to strip her body of her feathers.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of chickens remain conscious for this horrific end. By putting a stop to this practice, Whole Foods Market has recognized live-shackle slaughter's inherent and unnecessary cruelty. This commitment is also a nod to your strength, an acknowledgement that one of the largest retailers in the US is aware of your concerns—and your power.

As a massive, battle-tested army that's always ready for action, sometimes you don't even need to wage a campaign to win one.

Incredibly, this is the third seismic victory for animal welfare in just the past 45 days. Last month, Aldi pledged to adopt the European Chicken Commitment for its locations in Germany (its largest market) and Spain. And last week, Restaurant Brands International (RBI) made a global cage-free commitment for its 25,000 fast-food restaurants, which include Burger King, Popeyes, and Tim Hortons.

While it has yet to publicly support the Better Chicken Commitment, Aldi remains in talks with The Humane League's US negotiators. Prior to Whole Foods Market, the first US retailer to adopt the BCC was PCC Community Markets, a Seattle-based food cooperative with more than 60,000 members.

Whole Foods Market is an influential global brand (as is its parent company, Amazon). Founded in Austin, Texas in 1980, it has since expanded to more than 500 stores worldwide. The retailer bills itself as "a purpose-driven company that aims to set the standards of excellence for food retailers." With these new standards in place, Whole Foods Market is setting a pace for other retailers to match.

But this commitment, while it's momentous, is just the beginning. Now it's time for the rest of America's retailers to listen to their customers, listen to their consciences, and sign the Better Chicken Commitment. The choice is clear: They can either follow Whole Foods Market's lead, or get left behind.

Let's keep prodding them in the right direction!