Getty ImagesBrad Pitt might have six kids, but he probably isn't shopping in bulk from Costco to feed them.
The actor and Bill Maher are slamming the wholesale chain for selling eggs produced by caged hens, saying it contributes to animal cruelty. Pitt penned a letter to Costco CEO Craig Jelinek Thursday asking him to stop selling eggs produced this way. In the letter he explains the type of suffering the birds endure while living in captivity, which includes muscular atrophy.
He also notes cages have been banned in California. "As you know, these birds producing eggs for your shelves are crammed five or more into cages that are not large enough for even one hen to spread her wings," Pitt writes.
The HBO show host, on the other hand, aired his grievances in an editorial published in The New York Times last week. Even though he began his letter with, "I LIKE Costco," the Real Time With Bill Maher host transitioned into what he found wrong with the company. He even went into much more graphic detail about the consequences of cooped up hens.
"Multiple investigations into battery cages document animals with deteriorated spinal cords, some who have become paralyzed and then mummified in their cages," Maher wrote. "Imagine cramming five cats or dogs into tiny cages, hundreds of thousands in each shed, for their entire lives. That would warrant cruelty charges, of course. But when the egg industry does it to hens, it's considered business as usual."
Both stars were speaking on behalf of Farm Sanctuary, an organization that advocates against the mistreatment of animals and factory farming. Ryan Gosling is another star who has teamed up with the org to help stop Costco. In June the Crazy Stupid Love actor penned an open letter to Jelinek.
"...It is appalling that Costco has been selling these eggs with deceptive labeling on cartons featuring graphics of birds living out in a green pasture. You're already eliminating cages for veal calves and pigs – don't you feel that chickens also deserve the same mercy? So many corporations are meeting public demand for more humane products and transparency in the food chain. I sincerely hope that Costco will set plans now to go completely cage-free for its eggs," Eva Mendes' partner wrote.
This wasn't Gosling's first attempt to shed a light on animal cruelty in the food industry. He has worked with PETA in the past to fight cruelty to cows on dairy farms, and even slammed KFC for their chickens' living conditions.
His work with Farm Sanctuary began in 2013, where he worked with the organization and Humane Society International/Canada to help more than one million breeding pigs.