BJ's Wholesale Club Supports Animal Cruelty

For years, consumers have been demanding better animal welfare standards from food providers. More than 400 companies, including BJ's Wholesale Club, have responded by committing to eliminate caged eggs from their supply chains.

But now BJ's is refusing to say if it has kept its word to stop using caged eggs by its self-imposed 2022 deadline. This is especially disturbing, as Massachusetts - where BJ's is headquartered - banned battery cages.

While BJ's returns to cruelty by supporting caging animals, other companies choose transparency and accountability by publicly reporting progress and fulfilling ESG commitments. You don't need a membership to see that BJ's policies have prolonged suffering in store for egg-laying hens.

Confinement

Egg-laying hens are forcefully shoved inside wire cages, and on average, each hen is only afforded as little as 67 square inches of cage space — less than a single sheet of letter-sized paper on which to live her entire life. This intense confinement is the main source for frustration, injuries, and in many cases death.

Injuries

Foot and claw damage are more frequent in cages than in other systems, with lesions, fissures, and twisted or broken claws resulting from stepping on sharp wiring every day. Often, other body parts are caught in the caging, which results in fractured or broken bones, deformities, and further feather wear.

Mental Anguish

Like any animal, chickens are highly motivated to perform natural behaviors. These behaviors include nesting, perching, scratching, foraging, and exploring. Caged chickens are denied all of these natural behaviors, causing them severe distress and frustration.

Many leading food companies are reporting on their progress toward being 100% cage-free, including these: