The Bunny Basics

Romo · Joined: 04 Nov 2007 Posts: 44 Location: Boulder, CO

New rabbit meat products in Safeway.

It has been reported to us that Safeway stores in Washington State and possibly elsewhere have introduced a new product, frozen rabbit parts as a snack food. It's in the freezer case and is displayed much like buffalo wings. Evidently, Safeway is trying to start a new line of mass consumption novelty products based on rabbit meat.

The woman who first saw these new products is concerned, as are we at HRS, that this marks a new attempt by the rabbit processing industry to make rabbit meat more mainstream.

The rabbit meat comes from Pel-Freez Arkansas, the largest rabbit processor in the United States, which "processes" rabbits from breeders across the US and now, evidently, China as well. We are concerned about this attempt to move rabbit meat from a marginal product to a mainstream product; as production ramps up, the rabbits being bred and killed will suffer even more. (Pel-Freez's website has an online application that anyone can fill out to become a Pel-Freez supplier of rabbits.)

If you are concerned about this trend and want to let Safeway know your concerns, you can send them a polite note to:

Customer Service Center
Safeway Inc. — M/S 10501
P.O. BOX 29093
Phoenix, AZ 85038 - 9093

Safeway, by the way, has a statement on their website about animal welfare and its "comprehensive animal welfare program to ensure that both its national brand and private label suppliers have programs in place standard for the humane treatment of animals in all aspects of animal husbandry, shipment, and handling during the harvest process." Because rabbits are not covered under the federal Humane Methods of Slaughter Law, there is no way to ensure that under current law rabbits raised and slaughtered for food do get humane treatment.

Safeway owns Vons, Kroger, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Genuardi's and C