Progress! Another Major Food Company Will End Cages for Pigs

A leading consumer packaged goods company–Conagra–has committed to eliminating crates for pregnant pigs in its supply chain. This progress follows pressure from Animal Equality in collaboration with two fellow animal protection organizations.

The recently-released policy from Conagra, which supplies iconic products like Slim Jim, Reddi Wip, Swiss Miss, Orville Redenbacher’s and Chef Boyardee, states a 100% elimination of crates for pigs in its supply chain by 2026. Conagra’s policy also outlines steps the company will take in the three years leading up to its 2026 goal. The company aims to source at least 30% of its products from crate-free pigs by the end of 2024, with a 60% elimination by the end of 2025. 

Conagra has also committed to providing regular updates on its progress while working towards its goal. This progress is a step in the right direction in providing the bare minimum protection for animals inside the food system.

The policy by Conagra will affect 27,613 pigs.

The Extreme Confinement of Pigs

The extreme confinement of pregnant pigs is one of the worst abuses in the meat industry. Confined to individual 7-by-2-foot crates, pigs inside factory farms live most of their days in a space barely bigger than their bodies. Pigs inside these cages suffer mentally and physically. They cannot turn around, lie comfortably, or exhibit any natural behaviors. Many resort to biting the metal bars of the crates and banging their heads against them due to the immense stress.

This is the reality for the 6 million female pigs inside U.S. supply chains.

The use of crates has been deemed so cruel that 10 U.S. states have banned them, as well as the United Kingdom and Sweden. Nearly 100 companies have joined the efforts to end extreme confinement, including Aramark, Nestlé, Campbell’s, and Kraft Heinz. 

The majority of Americans agree that the use of crates is cruel. In one survey, two-thirds of Americans (66%) find crates to be unacceptable, and a strong majority (73%) are more likely to buy food products made from pigs supplied by companies committed to phasing them out. 

Animal Equality Fights to Protect Mother Pigs

Animal Equality has been working diligently with corporations to end the use of cages for pregnant pigs. Last year, Animal Equality launched a campaign against the world’s largest food service company, Compass Group, for failing to follow through with its decade-old commitment to eliminate crates in its supply chain. A few months later, Compass released a strong policy that would eliminate cages for mother pigs and hens, and improve the treatment of chickens.

In December 2022, Delaware North, the fourth-largest food service provider in the US, Compass released a new policy that would eliminate cages for mother pigs, eventually eradicating gestation crates from its supply chain. This policy followed friendly dialogue and campaign pressure by Animal Equality.

You, too, can stand up for mother pigs!

Animal Equality will do whatever it takes to protect farmed animals exploited for meat, dairy and eggs. As we work to end their exploitation altogether, progresses like the recently-released policy by Conagra are a step in the right direction towards a more compassionate future. 

Let the industry know you stand behind animals and against this abuse by signing our End Factory Farming petition today:

The extreme confinement of female pigs is a routine practice of the meat industry, which actively values profits over the lives of animals. These practices will not end unless the consumption of animal products, like meat, dairy and eggs, ends. 

You can make the compassionate choice today to protect pigs, cows, chickens and other farmed animals by reducing or eliminating animal products from your meals. This simple, yet powerful choice, is the best way to ensure you are not contributing to the unnecessary suffering of animals. Making the switch to plant-based alternatives has never been easier or more delicious!