Ahold Delhaize: Stop extreme animal cruelty
Ahold Delhaize is authorizing extreme animal abuse. Multinational retail and wholesale giant Ahold Delhaize—which operates U.S. supermarket chains like Food Lion, Giant, Hannaford, and Stop & Shop—continues to allow one of the most inhumane factory farming practices: confining animals in cages for their entire lives.
The company claims, “we truly believe that supporting animal welfare is the right thing to do,” but actions speak louder than words. In 2016, Ahold Delhaize promised to stop using cages for hens in its U.S. supply chain by 2025. Now, that deadline has been pushed to 2032. Progress for pregnant pigs is also slow, with cages set to be eliminated by 2028, three years later than once promised. They remain alarmingly silent about any progress for pigs or hens.
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Ahold Delhaize’s vague response
At Ahold Delhaize’s annual shareholder meeting in April 2025, activists staged powerful protests both inside and outside the event, demanding accountability for the company’s broken promises on animal welfare. A shocking undercover investigation at a pig farm linked to Ahold Delhaize was released right before the meeting. When pressed, CEO Frans Muller offered vague, empty statements—responses that failed to address the stark realities of suffering within Ahold Delhaize’s supply chain.
Dane Charbeneau
Ahold Delhaize’s failure to meet even its own animal welfare standards undermines both trust and its professed values. While the company publicly acknowledges that animals feel pain and emotions, its actions tell a different story.
Campaigns Manager
Animal Equality
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I’m very disappointed to hear about Ahold’s weak animal welfare commitments. Animals deserve so much better than spending their miserable lives crammed inside a cage too small to even do normal behaviors like stretch. I don’t think I’ll ever step foot in another grocery store owned by Ahold Delhaize.
You say “our customers expect and trust us to do the right thing” but your company continuously puts off animal welfare. How can your customers trust you when your actions repeatedly contradict your stated values?
It’s heartbreaking to learn that Ahold Delhaize is failing to prioritize animal welfare. Forcing animals to spend their entire lives in tiny, filthy cages is cruel and outdated. If your company truly cared about ethics and sustainability, you would take meaningful action to end this suffering. Until then, I’ll be shopping elsewhere.
Ahold Delhaize claims to be a company that values integrity, but your lack of commitment to improving animal welfare speaks volumes. Confining animals in cages so small they can’t even turn around is inhumane and unacceptable in 2024. It’s time to align your practices with your promises—or lose the trust of your customers.
I’m appalled that Ahold Delhaize continues to support farms that confine animals in barbaric conditions. These animals endure lives of misery because your company chooses profit over compassion. Do better. Your customers are watching.
Hannaford
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Is it true that Hannaford continues to buy from farms that keep animals in cages for their entire lives? I’m so upset to learn this…
Do you have any animal welfare standards above the basic law? It’s a crime to sell eggs from hens that live in cages in Massachusetts, but it seems like Hannaford continues to sell them in all other states in New England. Why are you doing the bare minimum for animals?
Hannaford, your continued support of cages for pregnant pigs is unacceptable. Animals are sentient beings, not machines, and they deserve better than a life of unrelenting confinement. If you don’t make serious changes soon, you’ll lose my business and the business of countless others who care about animals.
People care about the treatment of animals, so it’s shameful that Hannaford is lagging behind on animal welfare. Your company has the power to make a real difference but instead chooses to delay and ignore the cruelty happening under your supply chain.
Hannaford claims to care about its customers and values, yet continues to support inhumane farming practices. Keeping animals trapped in tiny cages is outdated and unacceptable. When will you start doing the right thing?
Food Lion
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I’m deeply disappointed that Food Lion is ignoring basic animal welfare. Confining animals in cages so small they can’t even turn around is incredibly cruel. Until you take real action to end this suffering, I’ll be taking my business elsewhere.
As a loyal customer, I’m shocked to learn that Food Lion supports farms that confine animals in barbaric metal cages. It’s time to prioritize compassion over cruelty and align your actions with the ethical standards your shoppers expect.
Food Lion, your refusal to take real action against cruel practices like gestation crates is appalling. Animals deserve better than a lifetime of suffering, and so do your customers. It’s time to live up to your so-called values—or risk losing our trust.
In 2024, there’s no excuse for Food Lion to continue supporting farms that cage animals in such horrific conditions. Do better for animals, your customers, and your brand’s reputation!
Food Lion says it cares about doing the right thing, but your failure to address cruel farming practices tells a different story. Animals deserve better than a lifetime of misery in cramped cages. Until you take this issue seriously, I’ll be shopping elsewhere and making sure I tell all my friends and family to do the same.
Stop & Shop
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You talk about sustainability, but there is nothing sustainable about extreme animal abuse. Why are you still allowing pregnant pigs and hens to be confined to tiny cages in your supply chain? Many companies are taking real steps to end this, but I’m not seeing that with Stop & Shop.
Your animal welfare policy is a joke. Isn’t it true that you still purchase from farms that keep pigs and hens in cages so small they can barely move? Stop with the misleading words and make a real change in your supply chain.
Stop & Shop, it’s time to do better. The animals in your supply chain endure unthinkable suffering in tiny cages, and your inaction on this issue is appalling. If you can’t prioritize basic animal welfare, you don’t deserve the trust of your customers.
Why are so many grocery chains being transparent about their animal welfare progress but Stop & Shop isn’t? Are you even prioritizing animal welfare or just have false statements on your website?
It’s been years since Stop & Shop said it would go cage-free. Has any progress been made?
Giant
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Giant talks about sustainability and values, but supporting extreme animal cruelty is the opposite of that. Why are pigs and hens in your supply chain still suffering in tiny cages? Other companies are making real progress—why is Giant falling so far behind?
Giant, your animal welfare promises feel like empty words. Isn’t it true you’re still sourcing from farms that confine pregnant pigs and hens to cages so small they can barely move? It’s time to stop misleading your customers and take meaningful action.
Why is Giant staying silent on its animal welfare progress while so many other grocery chains are being transparent? Are you actually working to improve conditions for animals, or are your policies just for show? Customers deserve real answers and real change.
It’s been years since Giant claimed it would go cage-free. What have you actually done to make that happen? Every year of delay means more animals suffering in inhumane conditions. Your customers are watching—when will you follow through?
Giant, it’s unacceptable that animals in your supply chain endure unthinkable suffering in cramped cages. If your company can’t prioritize even basic animal welfare, why should your customers trust you with their business?
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It is shocking that Ahold Delhaize continues to remain silent while animals endure unimaginable cruelty in its supply chain. The suffering inflicted by confining animals to tiny cages for the majority of their lives is horrific and cannot be ignored any longer. As a board member, you have a direct responsibility to demand immediate action to end this nightmare. Your company is complicit in these atrocities by failing to act, and it’s time for that to change.
As a member of the board, you have an important role in shaping the direction of Ahold Delhaize. The company’s current animal welfare standards fall short of consumer expectations. I urge you to take a stand for urgent action on animal welfare that reflect both company values and the growing demand for more humane sourcing.
The cruel treatment of animals in Ahold Delhaize’s supply chain is unconscionable. Keeping animals in cages for their entire lives is bad for business, let alone the animals. As a board member, you have the power to end this abuse. The company’s failure to act is not only unethical—it’s a betrayal of consumer trust. I demand that you take immediate action to protect animals and put an end to these horrific practices.
As a key decision-maker at Ahold Delhaize, you have the power to help the company lead on animal welfare. It’s critical that the board pushes for more meaningful policies to protect animals, including eliminating cruel practices like keeping animals in cages. I hope you will advocate for change that aligns with your customers.
The treatment of animals in Ahold Delhaize’s supply chain must be a priority. As a board member, you play a critical role in influencing the company’s policies. I urge you to take action and help push for stronger animal welfare standards that will resonate with today’s conscious consumers.
The current state of animal welfare within Ahold Delhaize’s supply chain is nothing short of horrific. Animals are subjected to unimaginable suffering, from gestation crates for pigs to battery cages for chickens. Your company has the resources and the responsibility to end this cruelty. If Ahold Delhaize continues to turn a blind eye to these atrocities, it will face growing consumer backlash. Will you be part of the solution, or will you continue to allow these horrors to take place under your watch?
As a board member of Ahold Delhaize, you have the responsibility to ensure that animal welfare is at the heart of the company’s decisions. Consumers expect transparency and better standards, especially when it comes to how animals are treated in your supply chain. I urge you to advocate for an end to the worst factory farming practices.
The public’s growing concern over animal welfare demands that Ahold Delhaize act more decisively. As a board member, your influence is vital in steering the company toward more ethical and sustainable practices. I urge you to push for stronger animal protection policies that reflect the values of your customers.
The suffering of animals in Ahold Delhaize’s supply chain is an ongoing crisis. The extreme confinement of hens and pregnant pigs in your US supply chain cause unimaginable pain to countless animals. As a board member, you have the power to demand change. The time for excuses is over—your company must act now to end this cruelty, or it will face the consequences of its complicity.
As a member of Ahold Delhaize’s board, you have the ability to drive change in the company’s animal welfare policies. There is a clear need for stronger commitment to cage-free sourcing, particularly regarding practices like gestation crates and battery cages. I encourage you to take action and ensure the company leads on this issue.
The lack of action on animal welfare at Ahold Delhaize is concerning. As a board member, you can influence the company to adopt stronger sourcing practices. Now is the time to act and ensure that Ahold Delhaize becomes a leader in animal welfare within the retail industry.
The horrifying conditions in which animals are raised for Ahold Delhaize’s products cannot be ignored any longer. From the extreme confinement of gestation crates to the horrific treatment of hens confined to battery cages, your company’s failure to act is enabling widespread cruelty. As a board member, you have a moral obligation to stop this. Consumers are watching—and they will not support a company that continues to profit from such suffering. It’s time for Ahold Delhaize to take a stand for animals and put an end to this barbaric treatment.
As a member of the board, you are uniquely positioned to push Ahold Delhaize to take real action on animal welfare. The company’s current stance is not enough, and consumers are demanding better. I urge you to advocate for stronger protections for animals in your supply chain, starting with eliminating inhumane practices like gestation crates.
Consumers are increasingly aware of how animals are treated in food production. As a board member of Ahold Delhaize, you have a responsibility to ensure that the company implements stronger, more transparent animal welfare policies. I urge you to take action to ensure Ahold Delhaize leads on this critical issue.
As a board member, your influence can help Ahold Delhaize implement policies that prioritize animal welfare. There is an urgent need for stronger protections for animals in your supply chain. I hope you will push for changes that improve the treatment of animals and meet the expectations of today’s consumers.
Gestation crates for pigs are a real problem… Basically, you’re asking a sow to live in an airline seat.
Temple Grandin
I think it’s something that needs to be phased out.
Associate Professor, Department of Animal Science.
Colorado State University
[T]he close confinement of sows in stalls or tethers is one of the most extreme examples of cruelty to an animal. It continues throughout much of life and is much worse than severely beating an animal.
Donald M. Broom
Professor of Animal Welfare.
University of Cambridge
Confinement of sows during pregnancy, especially in individual stalls or on tethers, can be cold, uncomfortable and injurious, and imposes severe restrictions on natural behaviour.
John Webster
Sr. Research Fellow and Emeritus Professor of Animal Husbandry and creator of The Five Freedoms.
University of Bristol
Gestation cages:
The cruelest confinement of pigs
These 7-by-2-foot cages take an immense physical and mental toll on the animals.
Pigs cannot walk, turn around, or stand comfortably in these cages. Beneath them are hard floors with slats for the urine and feces to fall through before collecting in giant outdoor waste lagoons.
Professor Ian Duncan, a scholar of animal welfare at the University of Guelph, has described it as “one of the cruelest forms of confinement devised by humankind.”
Ahold Delhaize is authorizing extreme animal suffering
Pregnant pigs are confined to cages of 7-by-2-foot that don’t let them turn around.
Research shows that these cages—gestation crates—cause physical and psychological suffering:
- Unable to move, their bones and muscles weaken,
- have open wounds due to the constant abrasion against the cage bars,
- many develop cardiovascular problems,
- overgrown hooves that cause them pain when they stand,
- digestive problems,
- and painful urinary infections.
Hens trapped in cages
Hens are social animals who like to forage for food, take dust baths, perch, and care for their chicks.
In Ahold Delhaize’s US operations, hens used for eggs are crammed into cages with other birds, leaving each hen with less space than a standard letter.
The hens cannot spread their wings, perch, roost, nest, dust-bathe, forage, or explore.
They are victims of violence from workers, and their bones often break when their wings get caught in the wire. They are forced to live like this for up to two years.
Because of the poor conditions, many hens die and rot in the cage alongside other birds.
Ahold Delhaize is losing public trust
In the United States, ten states have restricted cages for hens, eleven states have banned gestation cages, and thousands of companies worldwide—including international Ahold Delhaize supply chains—are eliminating cages.
Ahold Delhaize says, “Farm animal well-being is not only a good business practice – because our customers expect and trust us to do the right thing – but we truly believe that supporting animal welfare is the right thing to do.”
But the grocery giant has pushed off progress on animal welfare, leaving millions of animals to suffer.
Disclaimer: Images represent factory farms that use cages. They do not necessarily supply to Ahold Delhaize.
Stop animal abuse with every meal
Pigs, hens, and other animals feel pain and deserve to be protected from abuse.
You can protect these innocent animals by simply choosing plant‑based alternatives.