Company bans 'inhumane' sale of live lobsters
The natural foods grocery chain Whole Foods Market Inc, which has several stores in the UK, is to stop the “inhumane” sale of live lobsters and crabs.
The decision by the Austin, Texas-based grocer, which also has stores in Canada, comes after staff spent seven months studying the sale of live lobsters from ship to supermarket aisle, trying to determine whether the creatures suffered along the way.
They found that they could not ensure the lobsters and crabs were treated with respect and compassion throughout the supply chain leading to the stores.
“We place as much emphasis on the importance of humane treatment and quality of life for all animals as we do on the expectations for quality and flavour,” Whole Foods co-founder and chief executive John Mackey said in a statement.
Instead, the company will only sell frozen, raw and cooked lobster products at its more than 180 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, said Margaret Wittenberg, vice president of quality standards. And the chain will only deal with suppliers meeting their standards for humane treatment, handling and processing.
Animal rights activists hailed the announcement.
“The ways that lobsters are treated would warrant felony cruelty to animals charges if they were dogs or cats,” said Bruce Friedrich, a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
In making its decision, Whole Foods pointed to a report published last November by the European Food Safety Authority Animal Health and Welfare panel which it said concluded all decapod crustaceans, including lobsters and crabs, appear to have some degree of awareness, feel pain and can learn.
But other scientists and seafood industry officials said lobsters have such primitive insect-like nervous systems they do not even have brains and cannot experience pain the way animals and humans do.
