Something You Need to Know About Eggs Sold at Costco

A serious issue concerning food safety and animal welfare has been brought to my attention. If you eat eggs, shop at Costco or are concerned about animal welfare, this is something you need to know. Costco, which is the second largest grocery retailer in the U.S., is selling eggs from Hillandale, a large factory farm that partakes in incredibly cruel and unsanitary practices. It’s undoubtedly horrible for the chickens but, if you eat eggs, it’s also horribly gross and unappealing for you, the consumer.

The eggs from Hillandale are sold at Costco under the brand name Nearby Eggs. Their packaging (pictured above) depicts a drastically different reality than the actual one. The image shows happy hens in open green pastures. But here are some of the common conditions that were actually found at this Costco egg supplier:

• Chickens are confined their entire lives in small cages where they have no room to ever even spread their wings.
• Dead, decaying chickens are squished in the cages with the living chickens. The living chickens eat the carcasses, sleep on them and lay your eggs on top of them.
• Chicken body parts routinely become stuck in the wires of cages and they remain that way until the animal dies.
• Rotten, broken, fly-ridden eggs cover the areas where the chickens are housed.

As Wayne Pacelle, the President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said regarding this issue and these chickens, “They live in the darkness, with no comforts, and all they know is suffering and little else.” It’s truly such a sad and unnecessary reality. Not to mention the fact that eggs produced under these conditions clearly are not fit for consumption. You can see actual footage of the conditions at the farm in question in the video below:

And on top of all of this, part of what makes this situation even more distressing is that eight years ago Costco publicly announced that they would take action to eliminate the sale of eggs from cage confined chickens. But almost a decade has passed and these are still the kinds of farms that their eggs are coming from. It’s time for Costco to stop supporting such cruel and unsanitary practices.

It’s a sad reality, but it doesn’t have to be the reality going forward. We can help influence what happens next. Together we can make a difference and urge Costco to change their ways. Here’s what we can do to help:

What We Can Do to Help

1. Don’t buy the Nearby Eggs brand at Costco.
2. Contact Costco and let them know you don’t want to be sold eggs from farms where cage confinement is common practice. You can find information about contacting Costco and what to say to them, here.
3. Adopt a more plant-based diet and help create less consumer demand for animal products, like these eggs.

No animal should have to live like that and no human should have to eat food like that. Here’s to brighter, happier, healthier futures ahead for the chickens and for us.

xo,

Tedi