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AZVegan Voices
July Meeting
For more information on AZVegan Voices,
click here.
The topic for the July meeting...
Ask Trader Joe's to stop selling eggs from caged
hens. National grocery store chain Trader
Joe's has thus far refused to enact a policy to stop selling eggs from
hens confined in tiny wire coops called battery cages.
While many of us picture an
idyllic Old MacDonald's farm when we think about where our eggs come from,
nothing could be further from the truth. Virtually all eggs produced in the
United States come from industrialized facilities housing hundreds of thousands
-- if not millions -- of laying hens in overcrowded conditions.
Laying hens are arguably the
most abused animals in all agribusiness. About 98 percent of the 300
million laying hens in the United States are confined in barren, wire "battery
cages" so restrictive the birds don't even have enough space to spread their
wings. With no opportunity to engage in many of their natural
behaviors, including nesting, dust bathing, perching, and foraging, these birds
endure lives of immense suffering. Currently, no federal laws regulate the
treatment of birds on egg factory farms. While each state has its own animal
cruelty statute, most exempt common agricultural practices, no matter how
abusive.
Wild Oats and Whole
Foods Set Example
Whole Foods Market, the country's leading natural foods
retailer, adopted a policy in January to refuse to sell any eggs from caged
birds, showing a company-wide commitment to the welfare of laying hens. Whole
Foods contacted The HSUS shortly after we announced that Wild Oats
Natural Marketplaces had joined a growing list of companies and
universities deciding to spare egg-laying hens from intensive confinement in
battery cages. Wild Oats announced on May 31 that all of its national- and
regional-approved egg suppliers would be cage-free by June 1. The Colorado-based
chain adopted the cage-free policy after discussions with The HSUS's No
Battery Eggs campaign about the misery endured by battery-caged hens.
However, Trader Joe's, which competes with Whole Foods and Wild
Oats, has refused to adopt similar humane policies.
What Next?
The HSUS has contacted Trader Joe's and asked the company to stop selling eggs
from battery-caged hens, but so far the chain has refused to do so. That's why
we've asked our committed activists to call the company's customer comment lines
at 626-599-3817 (west coast) and 781-455-7319 (east coast) to ask them to adopt
a company-wide policy of cage-free eggs. Please also send an email to help
influence the retailer, and drop off a comment card at a local store. Trader
Joe's has a strong history of doing the right thing when it comes to animal
welfare, and we are optimistic that company executives will follow in that
tradition when they hear from their consumers.
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Call the company's customer comment lines at 626-599-3817 (west coast)
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Click here to send an email.
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Before your next trip to Trader Joe's, print and
fill out HSUS's free "customer
comment card" to drop off at the store.
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Visit the
HSUS site for more info.
If you only write one letter...
Trader Joe's
800 S. Shamrock Ave.
Monrovia, CA 91016
If you can write more than one letter...
Please write to the following local stores and ask that they stop selling
battery cage eggs. Start with the restaurants near you (to underscore the
idea that you are a potential customer.) And, as always, be polite.
Trader Joe's Stores in Arizona
|
Location |
Address |
City, State, ZIP |
Phone |
|
Ahwatukee (#177) |
4025 E Chandler Blvd. |
Ahwatukee, AZ 85408 |
(480) 759-2295 |
|
Glendale (#85) |
7720 West Bell Road |
Glendale, AZ 85308 |
(623) 776-7414 |
|
Mesa (#89) |
2050 East Baseline Road |
Mesa, AZ 85204 |
(480) 632-0951 |
|
North Scottsdale (#87) |
7555 Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd |
Scottsdale, AZ 85260 |
(480) 367-8920 |
|
Phoenix, Town & Country (#90) |
4821 N. 20th Street |
Phoenix, AZ 85016 |
(602) 912-9021 |
|
Tucson (#96) |
7912 North Oracle |
Oro Valley, AZ 85704 |
(520)797-4207 |
|
Phoenix, Metro Center (#91) |
9640 N. Metro Parkway West |
Phoenix, AZ 85051 |
(602) 371-0167 |
|
Scottsdale (#94) |
6202 North Scottsdale Road |
Scottsdale, AZ 85253 |
(480) 948-9886 |
|
Sun City (#92) |
13602 N. 99th Avenue |
Sun City, AZ 85351 |
(623) 972-0599 |
|
Tempe (#93) |
6460 South McClintock |
Tempe, AZ 85283 |
(480) 838-4142 |
|
Tucson (#95) |
1101 North Wilmot Road |
Tucson, AZ 85712 |
(520) 733-1313 |
|
Tucson (#191) |
4209 North Campbell Avenue |
Tucson, AZ 85719 |
(520) 325-0069 |
Quick letter-writing tips
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Always be polite - people are much more
likely to listen to you if you aren't yelling at them. :)
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Know your material - add in facts to
support your views.
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Use your own words - try to speak from
the heart.
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You don't have to write a lot - just
make your point quickly and politely. You can write a "standard"
letter of your own and send versions of that same letter to as many contacts on
the list as you want.
For more activist letter-writing
tips, check out the following resources
Important local contact information
Click here for a list of
important addresses. You certainly don't have to write to everyone on the
list.
(But kudos to you if you do!) Just pick a handful of contacts that you
feel are most important.
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