Check Your Facts Before You Boycott

At a family gathering this past weekend, I was told that I should not be drinking Fairlife milk because the company mistreats their employees and their animals. Being an animal lover, I was concerned and did some research. This is what I found on a website called Courthouse News Service in an article dated June 12, 2019. So if you are currently boycotting Fairlife milk, you might want to read this. I am posting highlights. Please follow the link to read the entire article.

This article reports:

Dairy consumers claim in two federal class actions that milk producer Fairlife promotes the “extraordinary care and comfort” of its cows on its product labels but its flagship farm actually ran an inhumane operation where employees beat, burned and starved to death cows and young calves.

According to the two complaints filed Tuesday and Wednesday in Chicago federal court, a nonprofit animal welfare watchdog investigated and recorded the horrific treatment of calves and cows by employees at Fair Oaks Farm in Indiana and posted the expose online last week.

“Animal Recovery Mission observed employees throwing, slapping, and kicking calves and took video recordings of the conduct witnessed,” one of the lawsuits states. “Animal Recovery Mission further witnessed young calves being starved to death, beaten with steel bars, and burned with branding irons.”

That’s awful and should be stopped immediately.

The article notes:

Mike McCloskey, owner of Fair Oaks Farm and part owner of Fairlife, publicly stated that he takes “full responsibility” for the apparent abuse and torture of the animals, according to the lawsuit, which says it started no later than last August and continued through at least November.

The article concludes:

Both proposed classes are suing for alleged consumer fraud and unjust enrichment. Michael’s complaint also asserts a claim for false advertising.

Fairlife was launched in 2012 as part of a joint venture by the Coca Cola Company and Select Milk Producers.

A Coca Cola representative said in a statement that Fairlife “immediately discontinued the use of milk from Fair Oaks Farms” after the video surfaced and Coca Cola is conducting its own investigation into all of Fairlife’s dairy suppliers.

Coca Cola distributes Fairlife’s products in the U.S. and Canada through its Minute Made division.

Supermark chain Jewel-Osco recently announced it is removing all Fairlife products from its shelves.

Since Coca Cola has discontinued the use of milk from the farm involved, I think the boycott should be over. Hopefully there are state and local agencies that will promptly correct the abuse on the farm.