I’m not even over the whole fake avocado oil thing and now we’re hit with another disappointment. This time it’s Costco’s organic chicken. As someone who shops at Costco every month, this is concerning. We don’t buy the Kirkland Brand organic chicken but we do buy a number of other Kirkland products every month.
I always believed that Costco was a retailer that went the extra mile to ensure that the products they offer on their shelves are what they say they are. Technically, this latest scandal doesn’t seem to be revealing a product that is not what it is advertised to be in a literal sense and more like a product that was not produced the way you expect it would be. And this time that definitely matters.
I think a lot of us have an impression regarding what organic meat is about. It would not be unreasonable to presume that it would involve animals that are given a more traditional life before they are slaughtered as humanely as possible. You might envision cows grazing on green pastures or chickens free-ranging outside scratching and pecking and catching bugs to eat. You would not expect a scene that features horrific suffering and misery but it seems as if it may be the case this time.
I wish I could say I was more surprised to learn about this latest scandal but where big companies and big money are involved, I have come to expect that there are nefarious things going on that the public is not supposed to know about. Too many big businesses are willing to engage in activities that are objectively evil in order to maximize their profits. Greed almost always wins or it least it seems that way.
The story begins with a nonprofit organization called Mercy for Animals that managed to get one of their people inside a North Carolina organic chicken farm that raises chickens for “Pilgrim’s Pride,” a company that sells chicken to Costco and other retailers. The undercover working as an employee for between two and three months reported witnessing horrific mistreatment of chickens that could be described as torture. I’ll let the video tell the rest of the story.
One thing is clear. Costco, one of the best-known retailers in the United States, really needs to up their game when it comes to sourcing their products. My impression has always been that they are better than average about ensuring that their products are genuine and are of the highest quality but now I am beginning to wonder. I surely hope I hear about Costco investigating this (they surely have the resources) and terminating their relationship with Pilgrim’s Pride. I don’t think anyone would be pleased to learn they are buying animal products from a company that mistreats animals terribly.