Who is Ira Kress?

Ira Kress has been the President of Giant Food since May 2020. Prior to this role, he held various Vice President positions at Giant Food and has been with the company since 1984. He also serves as a board member on the Capital Area Food Bank, the Ahold Delhaize USA Family Foundation, and the USO Mid-Atlantic. Ira says that when he stepped in as President, his job was to “continue to move the business forward.” If that’s truly the case, why does Giant Food continue to support archaic and outdated battery cages by selling eggs from caged hens?

Ira Kress’s apparent inaction in the face of filthy, out-of-step cages is exactly why he is also featured on A-HoleDelhaize.com, which calls out top Giant Food and Ahold Delhaize executives for seeming to ignore the cruelty of animals locked in tiny enclosures, as they present themselves as responsible leadership to the public.

Until Ahold Delhaize ends its use of inhumane cages, Ira Kress will remain a giant a-hole in our book, and whose company seems to make empty promises for publicity and clout.

Nearly a decade ago, Giant Food promised consumers it would end the abuse of hens in its supply chains. However, it still has not fulfilled this sustainability goal. Consumers are outraged and want Giant Food to take its commitment seriously and follow through on its promise to stop supporting the cruel caging of egg-laying hens.

As consumers—and Giant Food’s own leaders—know, making a promise is not the same as making good on a promise.

Caged egg-laying hens spend their lives crammed together in barren wire cages. They cannot dust-bathe or express most of their natural behaviors. Often, they suffer from broken bones and mental anguish. Each hen is unable even to spread her wings, and she only has as much space as the size of a sheet of paper within which to live her entire, miserable life. Ahold Delhaize claims to be “a passionate supporter of the well-being and welfare of farm animals,” yet its brands continue to support a practice so cruel that many states have made it illegal.

Will Ira Kress choose to do the right thing and encourage his fellow leaders to ensure Giant Food fulfills its cage-free egg commitment, or will he continue to let Giant Food fail to fulfill its sustainability pledge?

Click “Take Action” below to tell Ira Kress that consumers demand accountability and animals deserve better. Now is the time to demonstrate true leadership by showing the world that Giant Food is committed to upholding its promises and ending the abuse of animals in its supply chain.