Jul17
Whole Foods CEO on Corporate Animal Welfare Standards
Posted at 11:23 AM | Permalink
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Comments (14)
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"Everything that is alive is going to die someday (even you). What matters is the quality of life while something is alive. The fact that food animals are going to eventually die to feed humans doesn't mean that the quality of their lives is therefore irrelevant and should be ignored (since you are also mortal does the quality of your own life not matter either?). Quite the opposite. All sentient beings are worthy of being treated with respect and consideration IMO and that includes lobsters. Minimizing their pain is a worthy and admirable goal IMO. I admire Whole Foods for having animal welfare standards and for continually evolving them--and their ban on selling live lobsters is another positive evolutionary step on behalf of animals. . . .”
Amazing. You can check out the full story here.
TAGGED:
lobster john mackey whole foods
Comments
I think keeping live, taped lobsters in a tank(to be sold) is cruel--Publix markets in south Florida does it, it should be stopped
Posted by: mary nicoletti | July 17, 2007 11:52 AM
I had no idea that Whole Foods was so committed to animal welfare issues
All the more reason to shop there!
(and you'll never run into the pro-abuse people there- they are too busy shoving hot dogs and KFC down their throats and dealing with their heart disease, diabetes, etc issues!)
Posted by: kelly | July 17, 2007 02:45 PM
Beings I treat with respect and consideration I don't eat. So although it sounds really nice what he says, ultimately the animals are slaughtered and there's nothing nice about that.
In this way, people feel better about ingesting animals since their treated a little better. That is an argument that proves detrimental to the animals who so much want to live. The animals want to be freed and not worry about being slaughtered. Animals want liberation not a few days of eating grass outside.
Posted by: Ana | July 17, 2007 06:18 PM
Ana, how do you know the animals want to be freed? They get fed and watered, mingle with others, procreate and don't have to clean up after themselves. Given that farm animals don't have long term goals to accomplish it's a reasonable tradeoff to have the opportunity of life, albeit shorter.
Not to mention not having to put up with the consequences of old age.
Posted by: rojo | July 18, 2007 08:37 AM
Of course for vegans, like myself, it´s never really enough, but at least Mr. Mackey is opening a door that seems to be permanently closed by other people in his position, and I think we should respect him that.
Posted by: Maureen | July 18, 2007 12:41 PM
Of course for vegans, like myself, it´s never really enough, but at least Mr. Mackey is opening a door that seems to be permanently closed by other people in his position, and I think we should respect him for that.
Posted by: Maureen | July 18, 2007 12:41 PM
Good for Whole Foods, but tell me, why do only wealthy people get to have the honor of living ethically? What about those with a modest wage?
Although farm stand prices are just moderately overpriced, not everyone lives near a farm stand. Buying organic fruits and veggies can more than double the cost of food shopping.
I wish PETA would take this up as an issue. Why does ethically raised and organic vegetarian food have to be three times as expensive?
ps Horray for the lobsters. They are one of my favorite animals. May they be blessed.
Posted by: Maya | July 18, 2007 01:36 PM
If I'm not mistaken, John Mackey became a vegan some time ago, thanks to PETA's educational efforts.
Posted by: Yousef | July 18, 2007 09:09 PM
rojo, animals fight to live. That's how we know they want to be free and not be murdered. My dog doesn't have long-term goals. Should I kill him? Hell, some people don't have long-term goals. Does that mean they should be killed? As for Whole Foods, I wish they were less expensive (and didn't carry meat).
Posted by: Tracy | July 19, 2007 04:59 PM
The cost of eating healthy is expensive! Sure, you will have people spouting that veggies and fruits are cheap, but remember, those cheap veggies and fruits are sprayed with pesticides. Not very healthy, in my opinion. So...in order to eat organic, if you don't have enough room to grow a garden, a person has to frequent places such as Whole Foods, organic fruit stands, and food co-ops. All of them are expensive, but I make the splurge just because I don't have many other choices.
Posted by: Cheri | July 19, 2007 05:43 PM
tracy, doesn't your dog want to be free too, or do you feel symbiotic relationships should only occur for pets?
The reason your dog is alive is for the purpose of interacting with you, for your pleasure.
The main reason farm animals are raised is for food. They are alive for that reason, but will also die prematurely. My point is does the animal "care" if it dies aged 3 or of old age, at say 10. I'd say the will to live exists in both, so then we have to assess how valuable that missed out bit of life is, and take into account the suffering associated with old age. Remember there is no retirement package on offer in the wild.
Is it better to experience a short life or no life at all?
Posted by: rojo | July 20, 2007 10:01 AM
For everyone that likes to banter back and forth here is my simple outlook on life for all beings. RESPECT!!! If there is a genuine respect for all living things then all will work out the way it is meant to. Can we save all that we want to save? NO! Can we do our best to be good, caring, kind, compassionate human beings to eachother and to all that inhabit the earth? YES! Life is not perfect, but it can always be better. There is no need for animals to suffer at the hands of humans. Do they suffer out in the wild without any human interference? No human can possibly know that. But, there is not one reason on this earth that any animal should be tortured, neglected, abused, malnourished, dehydrated, etc. because a human chose to be cruel. These are the humans that will suffer the greatest. These are the humans that need to learn what respect means.
Posted by: Erika | July 20, 2007 04:13 PM
Erika,
You are absolutly right, no animal should be the victim of cruelty. Humane treatment is a must.
Posted by: rojo | July 20, 2007 07:18 PM
I've been working for Whole Foods for over six years in the meat department. This is a great company to work for. I truly believe in this company and it's core values. John Mackey believes in not only animal compassion but also supports small farmers in third world countries as well. I know how expensive our products can be but it cost more if you want to serve the highest quality possible. We do have co-ops that started out small because of the auditing that must happen in order to make sure they comply to wfm standards which is usually higher than the usda. These groups are growing and this may bring down the price because of the law of supply and demand. customer and employee happiness is also one of our core values. So not only does he believe in animal compassion but human compassion as well. As far as having a meat dept. all I can about this is that in the cupertino stevens creek store we have people come in who are from all over the world and from all races and creeds that have no place where they can find good food that is kosher or halal. Over the years I have come to know and love these people,quite a change from when I came up here from fresno ca. I,ve learned alot from working here but most of all I,ve learned understanding,tolerance and love for my fellow man. I pray that someday others can recieve this gift as well. May God bless you and keep you safe always.
Posted by: Greg Wilson | August 20, 2007 09:15 PM