In her 36-year career, Beth Ford has worked in six industries. After joining Land O’Lakes, Inc., she held various leadership positions at the company before taking on her current role as President and Chief Operating Officer. Beth serves on several boards, including on the Board of Directors at Starbucks and on the Advisory Board for Deming Center at Columbia Business School. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and her master’s degree from Columbia Business School. As a leader who Fortune ranked in 2019 as one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders and Most Powerful Women, what has Beth done to follow through with her company’s cage-free egg promise?
Beth Ford has the power and ethical responsibility to end the animal abuse in Land O’Lakes’ supply chain. So why won’t she?
In 2016, Land O’Lakes committed to ending its use of eggs that come from hens kept in tiny, filthy cages, agreeing to transition the company over to 100% cage-free eggs by 2025. This commitment was similar to those made by other companies over the years—today, 400+ companies in the US have commitments to transition to the use of solely cage-free eggs.
While competitors like
Nestlé,
JM Smucker Co., and
Hormel Brands
have fulfilled their commitments to be 100% cage-free in the United
States, Land O’Lakes has yet to publicly report its progress. Is it
reneging on its commitment? Has it failed to make any growth toward
the goal it set for itself? This lack of accountability and
transparency is unacceptable.
As consumers—as well as Land O’Lakes’ own leaders—know, making a
promise is not the same as making good on a promise.
Caged egg-laying hens spend their lives crammed together in barren
wire cages. They cannot dust-bathe or express most of their other
natural behaviors. Often, they suffer from broken bones and mental
anguish. Each hen is unable to even spread her own wings, and she
only has as much space as the size of a sheet of paper within which
to live her entire, miserable life. Land O’Lakes claims it is “driven every day to make things better.” Is supporting cages really how Land O’Lakes plans to do that?
Chickens are social, intelligent animals who should not be forced to
live in such horrifying conditions—conditions so inhumane that many
countries and
states have made them illegal. Companies like Land O’Lakes should not go back on their
commitments, especially when they affect the lives of so many
animals.
Will Beth Ford choose to do the right thing and encourage her
fellow leadership to follow through with the company’s own
commitment to end animal cruelty, or will she continue to ignore
the public promise Land O’Lakes made?
Click “Take Action” below to tell Beth Ford that consumers demand
more and animals deserve better. Now is the time to demonstrate true
leadership by showing the world that Land O’Lakes sticks to its
word.