CAPE TOWN - South African African turkey lovers will have to go through this Christmas without their favourite meat after Woolworths Foods said there won't be frozen turkeys on their shelves following claims of abuse on turkey farms supplying top grocery stores.
A Facebook user posted a notice seen in one of the stores this week which read: “We’re sorry we won’t be stocking frozen turkeys this year. Our suppliers share our commitment to animal welfare, food safety and quality, and we would never want to compromise those values.”
A Woolworths spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that there won't be any frozen turkeys on their shelves.
“As there is no turkey industry in South Africa, all our whole frozen turkeys are imported from trusted sources in Europe, who share our commitments to animal welfare, food safety and quality.
"We have no frozen turkeys this year as we were not able to import frozen turkeys due to outbreaks of avian flu in potential source countries in Europe," said the spokesperson.
Whole Foods, an American chain of supermarkets that specialises in natural and organic foods, has taken the same stance.
This follows footage revealed by animal right group Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), where workers can be seen kicking, stomping on and beating turkeys with a heavy rod at a farm supplying top grocers in August.
The store has since suspended all purchasing from the company and pulled its products from store shelves, calling the footage “incredibly upsetting and unacceptable”.
Cape Times