Advocates launch global campaign against Aldi’s double standards

Update 9/4/24: In Chicago, Animal Equality protested outside an Aldi store. Advocates displayed a life-size cage that is typically used to confine pregnant pigs throughout their pregnancies. This cage highlighted the suffering of pregnant pigs in Aldi’s U.S. supply chain.

Update 8/29/24: In the Bronx, New York City, advocates protested at the grand opening of an Aldi store. As the Bronx Borough President delivered her speech, volunteers held signs with messages like, “Low prices shouldn’t mean low standards.” While waiting in line, several customers pledged to question management about Aldi’s cage policy once inside.

Update 8/22/24: Protesters at Aldi’s grand opening in Torrance, California, handed out leaflets exposing the company’s cruelty. Aldi employees attempted to distract customers with free bags and keychains. Still, many customers confronted management about Aldi’s animal cruelty scandal.

Update 8/20/24: A two-day ad campaign in the Chicago Sun-Times questioned Aldi’s double standards. The ad asked, “Aldi, why do Americans deserve less?”

Update 7/18/2424 – At a major tech conference in Berlin–called the WeAreDevelopers World Congress–advocates exposed Aldi’s hypocrisy. Protesters showed videos of animals in cramped cages as QR codes directed viewers to join the campaign.

Update 5/6/24-5/8/24 – Once again, advocates placed a gestation crate inside a truck with transparent walls and drove it through major German cities. They invited Aldi’s management to discuss its animal welfare policies, but the company refused.

Update April 2024 – At job fairs in Germany, advocates on bicycles carried posters encouraging visitors to refuse working with Aldi. 

Update March 2024 – Animal Equality placed a gestation crate inside a truck with transparent walls and toured Germany’s largest cities. The event ended with two protests at Aldi’s headquarters in Mülheim an der Ruhr. 

Update 1/19/24 – At the Green Week agricultural fair in Berlin—where Aldi hosted a booth—Animal Equality staged a surprise action. Using light projectors, advocates shared the message “Abolish cages in the USA now!” 

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• Animal Equality kicked off its global campaign against cruelty in Aldi’s U.S. supply chain with a protest at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate. 
• Advocates are now highlighting the gap between Aldi’s animal welfare standards in Germany versus the U.S.
• Animal Equality urges Aldi to eliminate cages for pregnant pigs and hens in its U.S. supply chain.
• Protests have spread from Germany to the U.S., drawing attention to the chain’s double standards.

In October 2023, Animal Equality kicked off a global campaign against Aldi with a powerful protest at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate. Advocates displayed three gestation crates—or small metal cages for pregnant pigs—to expose suffering in its U.S. supply chain. 

The protest drew attention from hundreds of onlookers, including tourists and school groups.

The issue: Aldi’s double standards

Animal Equality’s campaign reveals a double standard in Aldi’s animal welfare policies. In Germany, Aldi is praised for its standards, which include banning small crates for pregnant pigs and battery cages for hens. These policies reflect the expectations of German consumers. 

In the United States, it’s a different story. For their entire pregnancies, mother pigs are confined in “gestation crates,” which are too small to turn around in. These intelligent, social animals suffer from sores, infections, and psychological distress for most of their lives. 

Hens in Aldi’s U.S. supply chain face similar suffering. They are crammed into wire cages with barely enough room to move. Each hen has less space than a sheet of printer paper, making it impossible to stretch their wings. These cramped conditions lead to injuries, diseases, and even death when the hens cannot access food or water.

These practices are out of step with Aldi’s own standards in Germany, where gestation crates were banned in 2021. This has raised serious concerns about Aldi’s commitment to animals across all its markets.

Animal Equality demands that Aldi close this gap by phasing out cages in the US. This campaign advocates for a global standard that protects all animals, regardless of where they are located.

Join the fight against cruelty

Across the US, animal protectors are standing up against the cruelest practices in factory farming. You can make a difference too. 

Sign our petition to ban factory farming in the US, share your thoughts on social media, and share this story with your friends and family. 

Then, let Aldi know how you feel about their support for extreme confinement in the United States. 

Holding corporations accountable requires collective action–but you can make a big impact with a small change. By choosing plant-based foods over meat, eggs, and dairy, you’ll prevent animal suffering while enjoying fresh, sustainable meals.