Vegan campaign group Viva has warned it will launch protests outside Sainsbury’s stores if the retailer continues to sell kangaroo meat.
Sainsbury’s introduced the limited-edition line of 228g kangaroo burgers in over 500 stores on 7 June (rsp: £1.50), but has since faced a backlash by campaigners who claim it poses a risk to human health and raises serious welfare concerns.
Viva this week launched a consumer campaign urging shoppers to put pressure on Sainsbury’s to drop the line. It is also “considering” peaceful protests if the burgers remain on sale, it told The Grocer.
In a letter to Sainsbury’s CEO Mike Coupe last week, Viva said its decision to sell kangaroo was “deeply concerning”, as the meat was often riddled with bacteria and contaminated with toxoplasmosis, it claimed.
“Kangaroos are shot in the wild out of sight,” said Viva campaigns ma-nager Justin Kerswell. “They are only inspected for disease after being killed, but the unclean nature of killing on dirt - with bacteria, excrement and blood on the ground, dirty trucks etc - means many do not consider the meat safe to eat.”
Sainsbury’s insisted the burgers were safe, sustainably and responsibly sourced, and “100% welfare friendly”.
Viva was “extremely disappointed” to hear Sainsbury’s would continue selling the meat despite the concerns raised, it said.
“Sadly, Sainsbury’s have swallowed the reassurances of the kangaroo industry without question,” said Kerswell. “That is hardly sourcing responsibly.”
The campaign group claims Sainsbury’s previously stopped selling kangaroo meat after a Viva campaign in 1999, while Morrisons and Tesco also dropped lines in 2015.
No comments yet