PETA continues to mislabel Vital Farms on welfare claims

People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) filed another lawsuit against egg producer Vital Farms for deceptive marketing and misleading consumers into paying a premium egg price. However, this isn’t the first time the organization has targeted the egg producer.

In 2021, members of PETA filed a similar lawsuit that claimed the same accusation: Vital Farms’ eggs were not raised in a manner consistent with the brand’s advertising and consumers were tricked into paying a premium price for the product. In each lawsuit, the animal rights organization claims that Vital Farms does not treat its animals in an ethical manner due to its compliance to industry standards. 

The industry standards PETA is referring to include male chick culling, debeaking and pasture-raised practices. Vital Farms is transparent about these topics on its Frequently Asked Question’s page.

The practices in question

The common egg industry practice of humanely euthanizing male chicks after hatch has been challenged by animal rights groups. Multiple avenues of research to reduce or eliminate the practice are being explored such as in ovo sexing and gene editing. Vital Farms is clear in their stance on male chick culling by continuing to invest in research and exploring options that can be scaled to a commercial level.

The producer follows the Certified Humane’s beak trimming standards to keep the birds safe from each other and prevent cannibalism. Additionally, all its eggs are pasture-raised, meaning its layers have a minimum of 108 sq feet each to roam in an outdoor area whether the hens choose to use it or not.

The egg producer carries the Certified Humane certification, in which the standards are set by a scientific committee comprised of established animal scientists, researchers and veterinarians. 

In all of PETA’s lawsuits, it’s essential to remember that the organization has a specific, and vegan, agenda to end animal agriculture and the consumption of any animal products. All its actions support that goal. 

Additionally, PETA has a strong history of capitalism, meaning that it is willing to twist the livestock industry’s motives using marketing strategies to play with the general population’s emotions towards animal welfare. It’s an interesting tactic for PETA to attack a company that seems to be taking the steps to improve animal welfare.

I’m in favor of consumers voicing their own opinions and making their own choices in what they purchase. However, I do think all the facts should be considered before doing so. Its critical for the livestock industry to educate consumers on its animal welfare practices. Then, they can choose what they’re purchasing at the grocery store in confidence.