Share
Harris Teeter plans to eliminate the use of gestation crates for pregnant pigs, officials from the Humane Society of the United States said Thursday.
The Matthews-based grocer discusses its goal to have a “gestation crate-free pork supply” on a section of its website on Animal Welfare.
“Harris Teeter knows that there are better, more humane, and more sustainable ways to breed pigs than by using gestation crates,” reads a statement on the grocer’s website. “It is Harris Teeter’s goal to have a gestation crate-free pork supply, and the company is committed to working with its suppliers…to accomplish that goal within a reasonable timeframe.”
Under the decades-old practice of crate gestation, pregnant pigs would be confined continuously in crates that are no bigger than the size of their bodies.
Other food-related companies have also announced plans to stop using the gestation crates. Among the other companies that have said they’ll stop the practice are Kroger, Safeway, Costco and fast-food chains like McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s.
In the news release, the Humane Society of the United States said it supported Harris Teeter’s decision.
