The Letter

Dear Mr. Vail,

I'm writing again because your response to Animal Outlook's investigation at Cooke Aquaculture's Bingham, Maine hatchery does not address the problem.

After Animal Outlook supporters urged you to stop selling True North Atlantic salmon, Hannaford wrote back describing the steps it says it has taken. Every one of those steps is something Cooke Aquaculture reported about itself: a response from Cooke, documentation from Cooke, a corrective action plan from Cooke. Hannaford's letter does not name a single independent inspection, a single third-party audit, or a single specific change Cooke has actually made inside that hatchery.

This is the same company whose Hatchery Manager was recorded admitting "we did a lot of stuff that we weren't supposed to do" after Animal Outlook's first investigation exposed this facility seven years ago. Letting Cooke supply its own evidence of reform is not oversight. It's asking a company that has already been caught lying once to grade its own homework.

Hannaford's own letter states that the company takes "the humane treatment of animals in our supply chain very seriously." Taking that seriously means verifying Cooke's claims independently, not accepting Cooke's paperwork at face value.

I'm urging you again: discontinue purchasing True North salmon, remove Cooke Aquaculture products from your stores, and commission an independent, third-party investigation into conditions at this facility rather than relying on Cooke's self-reporting.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.