Whole Foods takes out restraining order against vegan activists

A WHOLE FOODS supermarket in California has taken out a restraining order against vegan activists who planned to “occupy” the premises.

The store in Berkeley, California, has been locked in a bitter battle with the group Direct Action Everywhere (DXE), which has accused the organic chain of animal welfare violations.

Whole Foods, which is owned by Amazon, accused 150 members of the group of illegally trespassing.

DXE, had planned to camp out in and around the Berkeley store in protest against alleged animal welfare violations by some of Amazon’s suppliers. “DXE members have repeatedly entered our property to conduct demonstrations that disrupt customers and team members by blocking access, interfering with our business and putting the safety of [staff and shoppers] at risk,” Betsy Harden, a spokesman for Whole Foods told The Daily Californian.

The restraining order marks the latest in an ongoing tussle. DXE, which advocates “total animal liberation”, has staged demonstrations outside Whole Foods’s Berkeley shop for several years, calling for greater transparency in the company’s supply chain.

Activists have employed tactics such as chanting, covering eggs in fake blood and brandishing graphic photos. It had planned to “occupy” the store for a week, saying that the all-natural chain’s “organic” label doesn’t necessarily guarantee their suppliers treat their farm animals “humanely.”

On its website, Whole Foods states that it has “true partnerships with farmers, ranchers and animal-welfare experts to ensure the treatment of animals is guided by care, responsibility and respect”.

Last week’s court ruling grants the shop a temporary restraining order on its Berkeley premises, but the grocery chain has attempted to block DXE from accessing any of its stores in California

A judge will rule on the request on Oct 26.