Ryan Gosling put Costco on notice for breaking a big animal cruelty promise.
And he wants them to keep their word.
Ryan Gosling has a beef with Costco.
Here's what's going down.
Way back in 2007, Costco announced that starting ... one day, the company would sell only cage-free eggs.
As of June 2015, that day still hadn't arrived.
And it gets more frustrating:A Humane Society of the United States investigation found that one of Costco's major egg suppliers violated nearly ever standard of chicken decency, confining hens to tiny cages where they routinely injure themselves and are often forced to lay eggs, eat, and defecate on top of their dead cage-mates.
Needless to say, this pissed the notoriously righteous-hearted Gosling right off.
Gosling wrote Costco a letter. And pulled no punches.
"It is appalling that Costco has been selling these eggs with deceptive labeling on cartons featuring graphics of birds living out in a green pasture. You're already eliminating cages for veal calves and pigs – don't you feel that chickens also deserve the same mercy?"
And look, I love Costco. We all love Costco. Because Costco is great in a lot of ways.
Their average hourly wage for retail employees is $20/hour, which is astronomically far above the industry average. Plus, their whitefish salad is otherworldly good. (Trust me on this one. You won't regret it.)
Costco can still do better.
The Humane Society of the United States is urging consumers to call Costco and demand they speed their butts up and make the transition to cage-free immediately. 'Cause ... really. It's about time.
Right on, Ryan Gosling.
Hopefully your heartfelt words spur some much-needed change.
Update (6/23/16) —In December 2015, Costco released a statement regarding its cage-free egg promise: "In calendar 2016 we expect to sell over one billion cage free eggs. We are working with our suppliers toward a complete and sustainable transition to a cage‐free supply chain. This transition, however, will take time because currently over 90% of the supply of eggs is from caged hens and because other retailers and restaurants are also moving to cage free requirements, placing greater demands on the limited supply."