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Source: HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES, 7/2/13
Quiznos, the pioneer of the toasted sandwich, announced it will work closely with its suppliers to eliminate controversial pig “gestation crates” from its supply chain between 2017 and 2022. The cages, used to confine breeding pigs, have been criticized in recent years by animal welfare advocates and the food industry alike, and Quiznos had introduced some gestation crate-free pork into its restaurants in 2008. Quiznos’ announcement earned applause from the Humane Society of the United States.
Quiznos’ Senior Vice President of Communications Elizabeth Sapp said, “Quiznos is proud to have been one of the first companies to incorporate gestation crate-free pork into our supply chain, five years ago. Our customers have made it clear that they want better treatment for pigs, and we agree. It should come as no surprise to the pork industry or our customers that Quiznos is doing the right thing by now working to ensure an entirely gestation crate-free pork supply.”
HSUS Food Policy Director Matthew Prescott said, “Quiznos was one of the first chains to begin using gestation crate-free pork and we applaud the company for now moving the ball forward for animals even more. Quiznos’ move is further evidence that confining pigs in gestation crates is simply an unsustainable business practice.”
Similar announcements made recently by Oscar Mayer, McDonald’s, Costco, Safeway, Kroger and more than 60 other leading food companies signal a reversal in a three-decade-old trend in the pork industry that leaves most breeding pigs confined day and night in gestation crates during their four-month-long pregnancies. This confinement system has come under fire from veterinarians, farmers, animal welfare advocates, animal scientists, consumers and others.
Facts
Nine U.S. states and the European Union have passed laws to ban the continual gestation crate confinement of breeding pigs, while many family farmers have been raising pigs without the use of gestation crates for generations.
Renowned animal welfare scientist and advisor to the pork industry, Temple Grandin, Ph.D., is clear on this issue: “Confining an animal for most of its life in a box in which it is not able to turn around does not provide a decent life.” Grandin further states, “We’ve got to treat animals right, and the gestation stalls have got to go.”
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