The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) has unveiled its latest Supermarket Scorecard, evaluating grocery retailers across the U.S. based on their commitment to farm animal welfare. This initiative, part of the ASPCA’s Shop with Your Heart program started in 2016, aims to bring awareness to the treatment of animals raised for food and encourage supermarkets to adopt more humane practices.
The 2024 scorecard represents an expansion from last year’s evaluation, now encompassing a broader range of retailers and focusing on the commitment to eliminate cruelty from supply chains. It particularly scrutinizes cage confinement practices impacting laying hens, pregnant pigs, and meat chickens. Whole Foods Market and Sprouts Farmers Market continue to lead, demonstrating commendable progress in offering higher-welfare private label products at competitive prices.
Notable advancements were made by grocery giants such as Albertsons, Key Food, Kroger, and Safeway, with each improving animal welfare policies or reporting tangible progress. Conversely, retailers like Piggly Wiggly, Save A Lot, Trader Joe’s, and Winn-Dixie have lagged, failing to establish meaningful commitments to ethical sourcing.
Consumer sentiment strongly favors animal welfare; a recent survey revealed that 91% of participants expect supermarkets to prioritize humane treatment of farm animals. With one-third of shoppers prioritizing ethical sourcing, there lies a significant opportunity for supermarkets to enhance their customer loyalty through higher-welfare product offerings. Nancy Roulston from the ASPCA underscores the necessity for retailers to set robust animal welfare policies, as their choices directly influence the welfare of millions of animals and the existence of humane farms nationwide.
Supermarkets are encouraged to engage with the growing market for higher-welfare products, prompting a shift towards responsible sourcing that meets consumer demand. As highlighted in the report, supermarkets are not just retailers; they are champions of change in the food industry, with the potential to foster a more ethically responsible marketplace.
