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National Campaign Raises
Factory Farm Issue with Whole Foods
Two Regions pull factory farmed duck meat from Maple Leaf
Farms in response to national campaign
Viva!USA is sponsoring a nationwide
series of events to convince Whole Foods to drop duck meat from its over
100 stores. In conjunction with groups around the country, Viva! will
hold demonstrations and leafleting events from now until mid-February
at Whole Foods stores (including those operating under the names Fresh
Fields & Bread & Circus) in such major cities as Atlanta, Dallas,
San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC.
Viva! has been
informed by both the Midwest and MidAtlantic Whole Foods
that they will no longer carry duck meat by Maple Leaf
Farms, one of the main companies investigated by Viva! The
announcement from the Mid Atlantic region includes
D’Artagnan and International Gourmet.
However, some Whole
Foods still carry duck meat from Maple Leaf Farms and also
Grimaud Farms of California - another company investigated
by Viva! Earth Fare, a health food chain with five stores in
North & South Carolina, pulled duck meat from Grimaud
Farms after seeing Viva!’s investigation.
“We felt we were doing
Whole Foods a service by informing them of the cruel
practices of these companies,” said lauren Ornelas, US
Campaigns Director, “but since some regions of Whole Foods
are still carrying Maple Leaf Farms and Grimaud Farms, we
feel we have to take our message to their
customers.”
Whole Foods maintains
an image of concern for the environment and for the welfare
of animals killed for food, however, many Whole Foods
continue to sell duck meat from factory
farms.
Viva! investigated
both Grimaud and Maple Leaf Farms and found that the ducks
are forced to live in crowded conditions, indoors, without
enough water to immerse their heads. Most farms offer ducks
water only in the form of nipple drinkers (a pipe with holes
where water drops out). Without an adequate amount of water,
these aquatic birds find it difficult to keep warm and may
also develop eye problems that can result in blindness. Both
companies practice de-billing. De-bililng is done to prevent
feather pulling - a behavior caused by the stressful
environment. In the US, thousands of ducks are boiled alive
in the slaughterhouse!
Video footage of duck
units; full report; media briefing and photos, are available
from Viva! or on
our website.
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