Trader Joe's has taken legal action against an animal rights group that has been disrupting its California stores with increasingly aggressive protests. The supermarket chain filed a cease-and-desist letter and a complaint in Alameda County courts, alleging that Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) is targeting its poultry supply chain.
The group, which opposes Trader Joe's use of Perdue subsidiary Petaluma Poultry, has staged demonstrations involving megaphones, profanity, and activists gluing themselves to store fixtures. In one incident on 2 July, a woman glued herself to the meat aisle in a Pasadena store, while another did the same at the company's corporate headquarters in Monrovia. Both were arrested.
Trader Joe's legal filing describes the group's actions as threatening and harassing customers and crew members. It claims protesters have removed items from shopping baskets and posed as authorised representatives. At least a dozen customers have complained about feeling shaken and verbally harassed, according to the lawsuit.
DxE members say they will continue until Trader Joe's changes its poultry supplier. Carla Cabral, a member named in the complaint, said the company had “blocked us, refused all dialogue, and hired powerful attorneys to try to shut us up”. The group’s protests have occurred across multiple locations in California since June.
