A class action lawsuit was filed this week in California
alleging that the Kroger company is deceptively claiming that its Simple Truth
chicken is sourced from chickens raised “in a humane environment.”
The suit
claims that the birds are actually treated no differently from other mass
produced chickens confined on factory farms and killed in industrial slaughter
plants.
Kroger operates more than 2,600 supermarket stores in 34
states under various local banner names, such as Fry’s in Arizona.
The website Compassion Over Killing says that the lawsuit
alleges that Simple Truth chicken products can be traced to a Perdue Farms
processing facility in Kentucky. Perdue Farms is reported to engage in standard
chicken industry practices such as selective breeding of fast-growth birds who
continuously suffer from cardiovascular problems, painful bone deformities and
lameness.
The suit claims that Simple Truth chickens are also
subject to inhumane practices at slaughter, including upside down shackling by
their legs and submersion into vats of electrified water.
A Kroger spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday that the
company has not yet had a chance to review the lawsuit, but it plans to “vigorously
defend” their label.
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