With apologies to Maya Angelou, it sings because it is no longer caged.
Wild Oats Markets yesterday announced an agreement with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) that will ban the sale of eggs from caged birds in all of its 75 Wild Oats Natural Marketplaces, located in 23 states.
"Demand for improving the welfare of farm animals has never been higher," said Perry Odak, president/CEO of Wild Oats Markets, Inc. "We are hopeful that our decision not to approve egg farmers who use caged birds for our national and regional product lists will encourage the egg industry to move in the direction of phasing out its use of battery cages, and shifting toward cage-free methods that take the animals' welfare into account."
According to the Humane Society, about 98 percent of eggs sold in the United States come from birds confined in barren "battery cages so small the birds can't even spread their wings, let alone engage in other natural behaviors such as nesting, foraging, perching, and dust bathing.”
Wild Oats Markets yesterday announced an agreement with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) that will ban the sale of eggs from caged birds in all of its 75 Wild Oats Natural Marketplaces, located in 23 states.
"Demand for improving the welfare of farm animals has never been higher," said Perry Odak, president/CEO of Wild Oats Markets, Inc. "We are hopeful that our decision not to approve egg farmers who use caged birds for our national and regional product lists will encourage the egg industry to move in the direction of phasing out its use of battery cages, and shifting toward cage-free methods that take the animals' welfare into account."
According to the Humane Society, about 98 percent of eggs sold in the United States come from birds confined in barren "battery cages so small the birds can't even spread their wings, let alone engage in other natural behaviors such as nesting, foraging, perching, and dust bathing.”
- KC's View:
- The interesting thing about announcements like these is that they illustrate how retailing companies such as Wild Oats take a holistic approach to their marketing and operations – it isn’t just about selling stuff, but walking the walk as well as talking the talk.
