Costco Asks Pork Suppliers to go Crate-Free

Costco Wholesale Corporation and Super Kmart join the ranks of Safeway and Kroger as the latest grocers asking their pork suppliers to eliminate the use of gestation crates. In a letter to suppliers, Costco Executive Vice President of Merchandising Doug Schutt wrote, “Here at Costco … we want all of the hogs throughout our pork supply chain to be housed in groups with access to safety zones and expect this transition to be accomplished no later than 2022.” The retail giant’s new commitment comes on the heels of video footage released by the Mercy For Animals undercover investigation of Christensen Farms’ Hanska, MN facility, although Craig Wilson, vice president of food safety at Costco, insists the timing was a coincidence.