To our Stakeholders,

Whole Foods Market’s commitment to animal welfare is of the utmost importance to us and all our stakeholders. There is no major U.S. grocery retailer doing more to champion and sustainably advance this critical work for the sake of customers, the environment, and the chickens themselves.

We are proud of the work we have done. We were the first major U.S. retailer to codify our commitment via our Statement on Broiler Chicken Welfare in 2020, and we were also the first major retailer to commit to working toward the tenets of the Better Chicken Commitment. More recently, we were the first major retailer to offer higher animal welfare breeds certified under Global Animal Partnership’s Better Chicken Project, which are available in every Whole Foods Market operational area in the United States. Just this summer, we expanded our industry-leading standards for animal welfare by requiring additional products and species to meet our quality standards for meat and were the only retailer to receive an “A” ranking on the 2024 ASPCA Supermarket Scorecard, also receiving the highest score in the Broiler Chicken category.

As much as we wish a 100% transition to Better Chicken Project certified breeds was simple, we cannot rush the real, complex work or ignore existing barriers like affordability and demand for the product. Our goal is long-term success for better breeding practices. That must take precedence over deadlines. It is disappointing that Mercy for Animals is using valuable resources to come after a company that is clearly committed to this work, and with whom they claim to share a common and altruistic goal for chicken breeding. Those resources could have much greater impact through education and reducing barriers to success for partners.

Given the challenges of this work, we celebrate the progress that we have made. We encourage you to support the efforts by selecting Better Chicken Project certified breeds, which are available in every Whole Foods Market in the United States.

Our commitment to advocating for farm animal welfare remains unchanged. We will continue advancing the work to offer customers the knowledge and opportunity to make informed purchasing decisions, in service of our company’s higher Purpose and all our stakeholders.