PETA calls off its campaign in Canada after reaching a historic agreement with the company that coordinates purchasing chickens for all KFCs in Canada to dramatically reduce the suffering of the millions of chickens killed for Canadian KFCs. Most KFCs in Canada are also introducing a vegan faux-chicken option to their menus. PETA's campaign against KFC continues in other countries, including the United States. Learn more.

Following discussions with PETA, grocery chain Harris Teeter announced plans that made it the new industry leader on animal welfare. Harris Teeter committed to do the following:

• Give purchasing preference to suppliers that use or switch to controlled-atmosphere systems (the least cruel method of bird slaughter), purchase 2 percent of its turkeys by the fall of 2008 from suppliers that use this method, and increase its purchase of chickens killed by controlled-atmosphere slaughter systems by 5 percent for three consecutive years (for a total of 26 percent).
• Give purchasing preference to suppliers that are phasing out gestation crates--restrictive metal enclosures that confine pregnant pigs--and increase the amount of pig meat that it purchases from suppliers that are phasing out gestation crates by 10 percent in 2009, 15 percent in 2010, and 20 percent in 2011.  
• Introduce a new line of Harris Teeter brand cage-free eggs, give purchasing preference to producers of cage-free eggs, increase the amount of cage-free eggs that it sells from 6 percent to 9 percent by 2009, and work toward increasing that amount to 12 percent in 2010.

In the words of PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk, "We hope that shoppers will stick to the great vegetarian options offered by Harris Teeter, but the company should be commended for improving the living and dying conditions for some of the animals who are killed for its stores."

In 2002 PETA ended its Shameway campaign against grocery giant Safeway after the company agreed to some animal welfare reforms regarding the meat and eggs the company sells. Six years later, following extensive further negotiations, Safeway and PETA announced a new agreement that made Safeway the industry leader on animal welfare. Safeway has promised to do the following:

• Increase its purchases of flesh from chickens and turkeys killed by controlled-atmosphere killing (CAK) -- the least cruel method of bird slaughter -- and give purchasing preference to suppliers that use or switch to CAK.
• Increase the amount of pig flesh it purchases from suppliers that don't use gestation crates -- tiny metal enclosures so small that mother pigs can't even turn around -- by 5 percent of total pig flesh sales over each of the next three years. Safeway will also give purchasing preference to suppliers that don't use gestation crates.
• Double the amount of cage-free eggs it's sells to more than 6 percent of total eggs sales by 2010, and give purchasing preference to suppliers of cage-free eggs.

While "cage-free" and "crate-free" don't mean "cruelty-free" (the best way to be cruelty-free is to go vegan) these changes will result in a dramatic reduction in suffering forhundreds of thousands of animals. Learn more about PETA's work with Safeway.

After a PETA member spotted foie gras (and a book promoting it) being sold on the Web site of retail giant Target, PETA sent a letter explaining the horrors of foie gras production and asking that the company stop selling it immediately. Target responded within a few days of PETA's letter to confirm that it had discontinued the sale of both items!

To make foie gras, a pipe is shoved down a duck's throat and up to 4 pounds of grain and fat are pumped into his stomach two or three times every day. The pipes puncture many birds' throats, sometimes causing the animals to bleed to death. This cruel procedure causes the birds' livers to become diseased and to swell to up to 10 times their normal size. The birds are then killed and their bloated livers are sold as foie gras.

Thanks to Target's compassionate decision, fewer birds will suffer this horrible fate. Learn more about how you can help fight the foie gras industry.

In 2007, a PETA undercover investigator exposed hideous cruelty to animals at Mepkin Abbey, a Christian monastery in South Carolina. The monks operated a standard egg factory farm, which includes cramming hens who have had parts of their beaks sliced off into wire cages so small that they can barely move. The monks were also periodically starving the hens for days at a time to shock their bodies into laying more eggs. In January 2008, the monks announced that because of PETA's efforts, they would phase out the egg factory farm and shut it down completely in 18 months. Learn more about this exciting victory.