The animal rights activists protesting Kroger are here to stay in Cincinnati.
Animal Equality, an international animal rights organization based in Los Angeles, opened a new office at 914 Race Street, just a block away from Kroger's headquarters on Vine Street in downtown Cincinnati.
Seven Animal Equality staffers are now working out of the office. The group's co-founder and president, Sharon Núñez, told The Enquirer Oct. 1 she is relocating to Cincinnati "until at least we get a meeting from Kroger."
Group is pushing cage-free eggs
Animal Equality protesters have been outside the grocer's headquarters almost daily this summer, demonstrating against what they say is Kroger backtracking on its commitment to transition to cage-free eggs. They point to Kroger changing its goal to have 100%
cage-free eggs by 2025 to 70% by 2030.
The move comes after nine protesters, from outside Cincinnati, were arrested during a protest outside headquarters on Sept. 23. Some of the protesters had chained themselves to the building's entrance.
Animal Equality, founded in 2006, bills itself as “one of the most effective advocates for farmed animals in the world,” according to its website. The group has over 14,000 volunteers and 26 employees, The Enquirer reported.
Group planning 'intense weeks of action in Cincinnati'
She said Animal Equality will use the office to hold events and its staff will coordinate social media campaigns and protests. Núñez said she couldn't share the specific details of events and protests, but that all future activities will be "peaceful."
"We are preparing for intense weeks of action in Cincinnati that are going to be highly visible actions," Núñez said.
In the coming weeks, Animal Equality plans to create new website landing pages with information about Kroger's board membersand share those pages with "networks of these board members." There are also plans for protests outside other company headquarters tied to Kroger board members.
Another animal rights group, Maryland-based Humane League, protested outside a Kroger business conference in inflatable chicken costumes Sept. 28. Núñez said Animal Equality is not involved in that group's protests.
"At the moment, we're focused on the work we are doing," Núñez said. "Of course, we are happy that other groups are asking Kroger basically the same, to follow through with their cage free commitment."
Organizers say they've received no response from Kroger
Núñez said Kroger has still not answered Animal Equality's requests to meet or contacted them in any way, which she said is "very strange."
After Animal Equality and other animal protection groups launched a year-long campaign against Ahold Delhaize − which owns Food Lion and Giant Food stores across the U.S. − that grocer met with activists around three months into the protests, Núñez said. The global food retailer ultimately agreed to renew its cage-free commitment. Animal Equality also negotiated with Target to create a plan for them to transition to cage-free eggs, Núñez said.
"I have never been part of a campaign where a grocer hasn't reached out at this point," she said.
A spokesperson for Kroger did not immediately respond to questions about if the grocer has met with Animal Equality or if the two groups are in negotiations.
In a past statement to The Enquirer, Kroger said "Keeping food affordable and delivering value for our customers, particularly as families face higher costs, remains a core priority." The company also previously said that "We respect every organization's First Amendment right to peacefully protest."
Other major retailers have not met their cage-free egg promises, including Walmart and Aldi.
Right now, Kroger is the focus.
"Once we have that conversation with Kroger and see that they have a realistic engagement and plan to move forward, we will decide what our next campaign will be," she said.
Enquirer reporter Alexander Coolidge contributed to this reporting.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kroger protesters here to stay, opening new Cincinnati office
