Two more state WIC programs have added cage-free eggs to their supplemental nutrition programs at the start of 2024—the final year before many national retailer cage-free commitments are due to come into effect. This brings the total number of states that allow WIC shoppers to purchase cage-free eggs to 34, representing 72.0% of all WIC participants, or roughly 4.6 million people. Louisiana and Alaska are the latest states to approve higher welfare eggs for lower income families Louisiana, the #24 largest state by WIC participation, authorized cage-free and organic eggs on their food card in February, shortly after Alaska #46 added several cage-free egg brands to their list of WIC-approved foods. These states join the likes of California, Texas, and Florida—the three largest WIC states—in removing the income barrier to this higher welfare, and oftentimes healthier, food choice. Retailers continue to transition to 100% cage-free by 2025 These state WIC approvals come as agencies work to ensure participants still have access to eggs as leading retailers march towards their commitments to sell only cage-free eggs. Target, Walmart and Albertsons all have commitments to reach 100% by 2025. The latest version of Compassion in World Farming’s EggTrack report—the seventh annual edition—shows that Target is reporting 57% of its eggs are currently cage-free, Walmart is at 21% and Albertsons is at 27%. Publix, which has a commitment to reach 100% cage-free by 2026 remains at around 60%. States await decision on funding package While most states continue to authorize cage-free eggs, some agencies are waiting on the outcome of a new WIC funding decision by the United States Congress before deciding to expand access. At the end of January, Senate and House Appropriations chairs announced that they had reached an agreement on funding allocations for fiscal year 2024 Appropriations bills, but those allocations have yet to be made public. If WIC does receive full funding as we cautiously expect, states will have even more reason to authorize cage-free eggs in the future. The last state to do so is a rotten egg!
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Check to see if your state WIC program authorizes cage-free eggs https://www.ciwf.com/public-policy/cage-free-and-wic/
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Fórum Animal are pleased to announce that Alfa Piscicultura, a Brazilian tilapia producer, has committed to maintain animal welfare standards. This includes daily water quality assessments and keeping predators away from tanks. Additionally, Pizza Prime, the largest pizza franchise in Brazil, published its crate-free commitment to only buy pork from suppliers that work with sows group housing throughout gestation. Pizza Prime has committed to making this transition by 2026.
You can find both commitments in Portuguese by accessing:
* Alfa Piscicultura: "Bem-estar" at the Instagram profile @alfapiscicultura
* Pizza Prime: website post
In terms of impact, we estimate that Alfa Piscicultura's commitment will guarantee the benefit of over 1.400.000 tilapias per year! On the other hand, Pizza Prime's crate-free commitment should benefit over 259 pigs per year. Pizza Prime should also contribute to impact thousands of consumers with its new animal welfare policy that will be applied to the company's 70 stores across the country.
We conducted 1 year of friendly negotiation with the companies.
Our next steps will be to encourage both companies to share their success story in animal welfare and to Pizza Prime report its progress.
For the animals.
For two months last year (Oct-Dec) Animal Outlook's investigator worked undercover at Manning Beef, Los Angeles' last remaining cow slaughterhouse.
Manning Beef has long been embroiled in controversy notably during a 2021 incident when 40 cows escaped and a 2017 attempt to silence activists through litigation.
Our investigator recorded one of the bloodiest and goriest videos in Animal Outlook's 30-year history. Over a two-month period, we found abuses including:
* Multiple cows being butchered while showing signs of sensibility to pain
* A downed dairy cow repeatedly shocked with cattle prods after collapsing, then shot in the head three times with a captive bolt gun
* A worker stabbing a cow in the back of the head, then draining the cow's blood by stabbing them in the throat. This cow flailed while being butchered alive.
* A cow vomiting while their face was skinned and being restrained while moving away from the knife
* A cow left on the floor of the slaughterhouse for over half an hour
* Extreme operational errors and equipment malfunctions. One cow was dropped head first from the slaughter line onto the concrete floor
* Piles of unborn calf fetuses, extracted from pregnant cows sent to slaughter.
Animal Outlook has submitted comprehensive video evidence and legal documentation to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office, calling for a minimum of 95 criminal animal cruelty counts against Manning Beef, its owners, and its employees.
We also uncovered information in this process showing that the slaughterhouse is in bankruptcy.
Manning Beef has a long history of inhumane handling violations. Between 2018-2024 the company racked up 61 enforcement notices for inhumane handling, including two suspensions. The company's 2020 USDA suspension due to "an egregious act of inhumane handling of animals." In 2022, the company was again suspended for "a trend of repetitive noncompliance" with stunning requirements. Last week, the USDA issued Manning
