Safeway was once like most corporate animal abusers—the bottom line was more important than the suffering of the millions of animals slaughtered for its stores’ shelves.

But Safeway became the first Fortune 500 company to make dramatic improvements in conditions for farmed animals. How did this remarkable transformation happen? Caring people like you worked with PETA and made it happen.

PETA has won major concessions from Safeway, which is the third-largest grocery chain in North America. We started targeting Safeway eight years ago when PETA uncovered shocking cruelty to animals at the hands of Safeway’s meat and egg suppliers. In response, PETA made multiple attempts to contact Safeway to express our concern—and yours—for these abused animals. For 16 months, Safeway either ignored us or made hollow promises that it would look into the issue. The company didn’t take seriously PETA’s commitment to work until we achieved victory—a big mistake!

In 2002, PETA launched the global Shameway campaign, which urged consumers to boycott Safeway until the company improved the lives and deaths of animals killed for its stores. It took only three months—featuring more than 100 demonstrations across North America as well as negotiations with PETA—for Safeway to give in to PETA’s demands. This victory is a shining example of what PETA can accomplish with your support.

Safeway met PETA’s demands for new animal welfare standards, including unannounced audits of its suppliers. Since then, PETA and Safeway have continued negotiations to further improve the treatment of animals. Earlier this year, Safeway agreed to new major reforms, including the following:

• Increasing its purchases of flesh from chickens and turkeys killed by controlled-atmosphere killing (CAK), which is the least cruel method of bird slaughter ever developed
• Immediately increasing the amount of pig flesh it purchases from suppliers that don’t use gestation crates, which are metal enclosures so small that pregnant pigs can’t even turn around
• Doubling the amount of cage-free eggs it sells and giving purchasing preference to suppliers of cage-free eggs

These changes will reduce the suffering of hundreds of thousands of animals—each a feeling, sensitive, frightened individual—and put pressure on the rest of animal agriculture to match Safeway’s actions.

The Humane Slaughter Act is the only federal law that protects animals killed for food. The act protects only some, not all, animals—and only at the time of their slaughter, not while they’re on factory farms. It excludes chickens, turkeys, and fish, which together comprise the vast majority of animals killed for food. Despite the protection it is supposed to provide for at least some animals, no facility has ever been fined for violating this law in the 50 years since its passage.

PETA isn’t afraid to fight hard—by negotiating in corporate boardrooms or campaigning on public sidewalks—to stop animal abuse on industrialized farms and in horrific slaughterhouses.

As a result of PETA’s boycott campaigns and behind-the-scenes negotiations, an increasing number of companies that purchase animal flesh and eggs are adopting new animal welfare standards. Corporate giants like Burger King, Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s, and Safeway are demanding that their suppliers drastically improve the lives and deaths of their animals.

PETA is only able to win these major industry-changing victories for farmed animals because of the commitment of supporters like you. By making a gift today, you can help us continue to fight—and win—more victories for animals on factory farms.

For all the cows, chickens, pigs, fish, and other animals whose suffering we get closer to eliminating every day, thank you for your compassion and support.

Kind regards,

Ingrid E. Newkirk
President