The Letter

Dear Mr. Vail,

I am writing to urge you to stop selling True North Atlantic salmon following a deeply disturbing undercover investigation at a Cooke Aquaculture facility.

Animal Outlook's recent investigation at Cooke's salmon hatchery in Bingham, Maine documented shocking conditions including:

• Systematic animal cruelty: Workers routinely clubbing fish to death with metal bars, often unsuccessfully, leaving animals in agony for extended periods. One fish continued thrashing for 43 seconds after being struck. Workers also kicked fish, placed live fish in garbage bags to suffocate, and cut fish open while their hearts were still beating.
• Environmental violations: Workers admitted to ignoring containment protocols, potentially allowing hatchery fish to escape into the Kennebec River where they can threaten Maine's endangered wild Atlantic salmon populations.
• Contamination and disease: Fish feed contaminated by rodents, severe fungal infections, and mass mortality events — in one case, 25,000-30,000 fish died in a single tank.

This is not a case of isolated incidents. This is systematic cruelty carried out openly with management's full knowledge. The Hatchery Manager was recorded admitting "we did a lot of stuff that we weren't supposed to do" when discussing our previous investigation that first exposed this facility. Martha Stewart’s culinary brand appears to have quietly ended its partnership with True North shortly after our first investigation. 

Seven years later, conditions have not improved — and in some cases have worsened.

A veterinary expert who reviewed the footage concluded that "animal welfare guidelines at this facility are not adequately implemented, enforced, or supported" and that "animals will continue to experience unnecessary and avoidable suffering until substantial corrective measures are implemented."

Your customers trust Hannaford to source responsibly. They rely on you to ensure products meet basic standards of animal welfare, environmental stewardship, and food safety. Based on Animal Outlook’s investigation, we believe True North salmon fails on all three counts.

I urge you to discontinue purchasing True North salmon, remove all Cooke Aquaculture products from your stores, and issue a public statement reaffirming Hannaford's commitment to responsible sourcing.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.