Activism & Animals Active Updated Jul 31, 2026
Costco's chicken welfare accountability fight
A Mercy For Animals undercover investigation found baby chicks crushed and buried alive at an organic farm supplying Costco's chicken, the second such exposure of a Costco supplier in five years, and documented conditions inconsistent with the certified organic label the chicken carried. Mercy For Animals filed a legal complaint and is pushing Costco to adopt enforceable chicken welfare standards across its supply chain. The fight is whether Costco changes policy or merely drops the one supplier.
The story so far
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Jul 30, 2026 Latest
Mercy For Animals released undercover footage from a Costco chicken supplier farm estimated to confine 520,000 birds at once, documenting chicks crushed and buried alive, no outdoor access despite an organic label, and biosecurity failures; the group filed a legal complaint and said Costco could spare 250 million chickens a year by adopting slower-growing breeds and stronger oversight.
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