People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which owns 180 shares in Winn-Dixie, has submitted a shareholder resolution calling on the Jacksonville-based grocery giant to report any progress it has made toward adopting animal welfare policies that pertain to the purchase of eggs and pig, chicken, and turkey meat.

In the resolution, PETA argue that Winn-Dixie lags far behind rivals Safeway, Harris Teeter, and others who have updated their purchasing practices to improve animal welfare standards for some animals. Winn-Dixie operates 521 stores in five southern states.

Peta have brought the policies of many companies in line with the growing public concern about the abuse of farmed animals. As an October 8, 2007, Nation's Restaurant News editorial observed, "[A]ctive concern about how we treat the world around us has moved from left of center to the mainstream. A case in point is the growing number of companies that are embracing purchasing policies with animal welfare in mind."

Peta have acknowledged that many grocery chains--including Safeway and Harris Teeter--have already taken action to curb these abuses. Both companies have enacted policies to increase the amount of cage-free eggs that they purchase, the number of birds that they purchase from suppliers that use a less cruel form of slaughter called controlled-atmosphere killing (CAK), and the amount of pig meat that they purchase from suppliers who are phasing out cruel "gestation crates."

"The food industry is finally starting to address the suffering of animals on factory farms, but Winn-Dixie is way behind," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "Consumers care about animal welfare, and if Winn-Dixie doesn't keep up with its rivals, shareholders could pay the price in diminishing returns."