Raley's Stops Selling Coconut Milk From Major Thai Producer: PETA

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA— Raley's, the West Sacramento-based grocery store chain with 78 locations in Northern California and Nevada — including several in the Bay Area — has reportedly stopped selling coconut milk from major Thailand producer Chaokoh, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — or PETA.

The grocery chain's decision to pull the product from its shelves followed a PETA campaign and two PETA Asia undercover investigations into the use of chained and caged monkeys in Thailand’s coconut-picking industry, PETA said Tuesday in a news release.

PETA shared video footage with Raley's and met twice with the company, rallied its members and supporters to call on the chain to make the right decision, and sent a delivery of humanely picked coconuts to Raley's CEO.

"A life as a chained-up coconut-picking machine is no life at all for a monkey, who needs to socialize, play, and explore with family members," PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said. "Since PETA exposés have confirmed cover-ups of cruelty on coconut farms, no grocery store with a conscience can keep Chaokoh products on its shelves, and Raley’s should be recognized for taking action."

Patch sought to confirm the matter Tuesday with Raley's but as of publication time, the company had not responded to an email. Patch will update this post if a response is received.

The first investigation by PETA Asia "found cruelty to monkeys on every farm, at every monkey-training facility, and in every coconut-picking contest that used monkey labor," PETA Media Officer Moira Colley said.

"When not being forced to pick coconuts or perform in circus-style shows for tourists, the animals were kept tethered, chained to old tires, or confined to cages barely larger than their bodies," Colley said.

After a global outcry, the coconut industry claimed to have changed this practice, Colley said, but in a second investigation PETA Asia "found producers still using monkey labor and industry insiders discussing how farms conceal this practice by simply hiding monkeys until auditors leave or by hiring contractors to bring in monkeys only during harvest time."

Raley's is now among more than 30,000 stores — including Albertsons, Wegmans, Costco, Target, Food Lion, and Stop & Shop— that have cut ties with coconut milk brands that use coconuts picked by monkeys, Colley said.

PETA continues to pressure other retailers including Kroger, Walmart, Publix and Save Mart, to follow suit, Colley said.