Heinz joins gestation crate phase out
Heinz has told the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) that the US food manufacturer is working with its pork suppliers with the aim of reducing the use of single sow gestation crates from its supply chain.
By doing so, Heinz joins the rapidly swelling ranks of US food companies and restaurant chains that are bowing to public pressure and planning to phase out the use of the crates that are used to keep gestating sows singly in pens.
Keeping the sows singly in crates aids access to the often aggressive mothering animal and saves the piglets from being inadvertantly crushed. The practise was put in place some 42 years ago.
Other companies recently announcing that they would phase out the use of the crate form their supply chain include McDonald’s, Kroger, and Oscar Mayer.
Heinz has not announced a date by which it hopes to have phased out the practise.
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