Coca-Cola under fire after undercover investigation reveals disturbing scenes at farm: 'A habitual offender'
An undercover investigation found animal welfare violations at Woodcrest Dairy, which the report said was, at least at one time, a supplier to Coca-Cola's Fairlife milk brand.
What's happening?
According to World Animal News, Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) documented many cases of animal mistreatment at the Woodcrest facility in New Mexico between December 2024 and March 2025.
Workers were filmed forcibly extracting unborn calves from cows not yet in labor using chains. Newborn calves were left to suffer and die from blunt force trauma and neglect.
Investigators also recorded pregnant and sick cows being whipped, punched, kicked, and beaten with metal objects, including shovels, wrenches, and pipes. The abuse was carried out by various staff, including owners, managers, and ranch hands.
In a statement to The Cool Down, a Coca-Cola spokesperson said the company has not sourced milk from Woodcrest since 2023 and that it was never a primary supplier, and that the company stopped sourcing milk other farms in previous investigations by ARM.
"Fairlife is committed to ensuring strong animal welfare at supplying farms and has zero tolerance for animal abuse," the spokesperson said. "Woodcrest Dairy in New Mexico is not a supplier to fairlife, and upon learning about the incident in Arizona in February, fairlife stopped accepting milk from those farms and has not received milk from them since. As a milk processor, fairlife does not own farms or cows and requires all farms that supply milk for fairlife products to adhere to stringent animal care guidelines and comply with regular 3rd-party audits."
This marks the ninth time ARM has found abuse at a Fairlife supplier, despite the company's public claims about sourcing from farms with high animal care standards. Since learning about these findings, Fairlife has cut ties with Select Milk Producers and quietly removed animal welfare marketing claims from its website.
ARM founder Richard Couto stated, "Fairlife milk is now a habitual offender, and Coca-Cola will be forever known as the global corporate leader in animal cruelty."
Why is Coca-Cola's Fairlife milk division concerning?
The repeated pattern of animal abuse across multiple Fairlife suppliers points to system-wide problems in Coca-Cola's oversight of its dairy supply chain. This directly affects communities through consumer deception, as many people choose Fairlife products based on promises of ethical treatment.
In February 2025, ARM released two more investigations from Arizona dairies also in Fairlife's supply chain, where cows were stabbed, beaten, shot, and electrocuted. Thousands of calves were kept in illegal veal crates and left to suffer.
The legal consequences are mounting. In 2019, Fairlife agreed to a $21 million class action settlement for false advertising related to its animal welfare claims after similar abuse was exposed at Indiana dairies. In June 2025, a new class action lawsuit was amended to include both the Arizona and New Mexico cases.
Coca-Cola has made some good steps in other areas, such as water conservation and promises to reduce plastic waste through its World Without Waste plan. However, these animal welfare issues contradict the company's public statements about responsible sourcing.
Editor's note: This article was updated to include a statement from a Coca-Cola spokesperson.
Should companies be required to help recycle their own products?
Definitely
No way
It depends on the product
They should get tax breaks instead
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
What's being done about Coca-Cola's Fairlife practices?
ARM has submitted its findings to several authorities, including the Chaves County Sheriff's Office, the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, the USDA, and the FDA for potential legal action.
As a consumer, you can make a difference, too. Pick plant-based milk options. If you prefer dairy products, look for brands with third-party animal welfare certifications.
Contact Coca-Cola directly through their customer service to share your concerns about Fairlife's supply chain practices. Consumer pressure often leads to corporate policy changes more quickly than government regulations.
Sign ARM's petition asking for accountability and real changes to Fairlife's supply chain practices. Customer voices create public pressure that companies notice when their brand image is on the line.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Financial Planners Share 4 Warren Buffett Tips To Take With a Grain of Salt
Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors of all time. His long-term success, consistent returns, and timeless advice have inspired millions of investors. But while many of his investing principles are sound, they aren't always suitable for everyday investors. Read More: Try This: GOBankingRates spoke to financial planners to share Buffett's investing tips to take with a grain of salt. Here's where they recommend taking Buffett's advice with caution and why your financial plan may need a different approach. 'Never Invest in a Business You Cannot Understand' This sounds like no-brainer advice. But here's what many people miss: Buffett's investment decisions come from extensive due diligence, something that everyday investors don't have the time and tools to replicate. 'While it sounds like common sense, the challenge is that Buffett has access to deep research, management insights, and analytical resources that most individuals simply don't,' said Eric Blake, founder of Blake Wealth Management. 'The average investor doesn't have the time or tools to analyze a company's balance sheet, competitive moat or management quality in the way Buffett does.' 'It's Far Better To Buy a Wonderful Company at a Fair Price Than a Fair Company at a Wonderful Price' Buffett's focus on quality makes sense. But again, identifying 'wonderful' companies requires deep research and a strong understanding of the stock market. Most average investors don't have the time and experience to value companies. Trying to replicate Buffett's advice could lead to costly mistakes. For this reason, index funds often make more sense. 'That's why many of our clients — especially women who are retired, divorced, or widowed — should likely prioritize simplicity, transparency, and diversification through professionally managed portfolios and index-based strategies over picking individual stocks,' added Blake. 'Just Do Index Funds' Even Buffett's most democratized advice, 'just do index funds,' needs careful consideration. 'Many people cannot handle the volatility associated with the S&P 500 index,' said Jeremy Finger, founder of Riverbend Wealth Management. 'I was down 55%-plus in the 2008-'09 crash. Down 49% in 2000-2002. Down markets can be especially devastating if you are withdrawing money for retirement.' 'Not everyone has the emotional investing stability that Mr. Buffett has. Even if they think they do, many sell when it is down and hope to get back in later.' This emotional selling destroys long-term returns faster than any market crash. 'Only Buy Something That You'd Be Perfectly Happy To Hold If the Market Shut Down for 10 Years' While investors should always think long-term, not everyone can afford to wait a decade to see returns. 'Most of our clients can't afford to think in purely decades-long terms when they also have short-term spending needs or rely on their portfolio for retirement income,' Blake added. This is why many financial planners apply the '5-year rule.' If you'll need to spend the money within the next five years, it probably doesn't belong in the stock market. 'Buffett's advice is powerful, but context always matters. What works for a legendary investor managing billions with a 100-year view isn't always what works for someone planning the next 20-30 years of retirement, especially when that income needs to be reliable, tax-efficient and personalized,' Blake noted. More From GOBankingRates Clever Ways To Save Money That Actually Work in 2025 This article originally appeared on Financial Planners Share 4 Warren Buffett Tips To Take With a Grain of Salt Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Uncertain economic times? That means it's gold's time to shine
What's it worth: From Costco gold bars to pots of gold That's enough for more than 1 billion Olympic gold medals, which are actually primarily made of silver, and about 750,000 pots of gold waiting at the end of every rainbow. Or you'd have to spend $694 billion at Costco on its 1-ounce gold bars, although the $3,410 bar is out of stock. Value of reserves rises and falls with price of gold The price of gold fluctuates, but as of July 2025, the market value of all the gold stored in the New York Federal Reserve vault could be estimated somewhere between $470 billion and $680 billion, depending on the market price of gold, which hit a record high this year. Who owns all the gold in the Fed's stockpile? But none of that gold belongs to the Fed, and most of it isn't American. In 2021, the U.S. Treasury Department reported it only stores about 13.4 million fine troy ounces – about 416 metric tons – there. The rest belongs to foreign governments, other central banks, and official international organizations, who trust the Fed to keep it locked away 80 feet below street level. Golden opportunity for a heist movie? Where is the world's gold stored? The United States stores gold in other places, too. The largest American-owned gold stockpile is at Fort Knox in Kentucky, which houses about 147.3 million fine troy ounces of gold – about 4,583 metric tons. Other countries, including Germany, Italy, and France, also have large gold reserves. More: Trump wants lower interest rates. Will the Fed make cuts? Live updates Why people still like gold Beyond its shine, some investors, central banks, and governments view gold as an attractive asset that inspires confidence, even in uncertain times. 'It's historical money. It goes back several millennia as original money,' said Aakash Doshi, the global head of gold strategy at State Street Investment Management. 'It goes back to biblical times. It was one of the gifts from the three wise men.' While today gold isn't used as a large-scale payment method, it's a highly liquid asset with no particular credit risk and is not directly controlled by any central bank, according to Joe Cavatoni, the senior market strategist for the Americas for the World Gold Council. Some investors still view it as 'real' money – something that can't be printed – and a hedge against market and economic volatility. 'Gold performs in good times as well as in the bad times,' Cavatoni said. Why gold demand surged While the dollar or the euro isn't going away anytime soon, Doshi said the demand for real hard assets that complement fiat currency rose over the last few decades as global debt and governments' share of that debt has increased. In 2024, gold overtook the euro as the second-largest global reserve asset after the U.S. dollar, according to a June European Central Bank report. Doshi listed the 2008 financial crisis, the U.S.-China trade war, shifting trade alliances like the rearrangement of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and expanded sanctions as forces driving some central banks' increased interest in gold, as they seek stability amid economic shocks and geopolitical tension. Cavatoni said that rating agencies' recent downgrades to the U.S. government's creditworthiness and the risks that come with holding treasuries are also likely on people's minds, adding that a lot of the increased demand is coming from emerging market central banks. Gold price jumped since the start of 2024 He said gold is valued higher when market risk is unclear and uncertainty is high, adding, 'that's kind of the world we're living in now.' 'When you think about their absolute level of holdings, they are still very low relative to the percentage of total reserves. And I think that there's still an opportunity for them to continue to grow,' Cavatoni said. 'But I think we're seeing in our second quarter data and other sound bites that they're definitely paying close attention to what the performance is going to look like.' Reach out to Rachel Barber at rbarber@ and follow her on X @rachelbarber_ Illustrations by Veronica Bravo This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: In uncertain economic times, that means it's gold's time to shine Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Toyota Motor Corporation (TM) Announces First-Half 2025 Productions, Sales, and Export Performance
Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM) is included in our list of the . Image by Admiral_Lebioda from Pixabay Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM) announced its first-half 2025 production, sales, and export numbers on July 30, 2025, highlighting strong year-over-year performance across production, sales, and exports. Compared to the 4.89 million units sold during the same period the previous year, global sales increased by 5.5% to 5.16 million units. Strong demand for new models like the Crown Estate and a comeback from last year's certification issue and recall led to a notable 12.6% year-over-year increase in Japanese sales. Largely driven by strong demand for Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM)'s hybrid models, North America, the second-largest market, contributed 1.44 million units, representing a 4.2% YoY increase. With government subsidies for electric vehicles, Toyota's largest market, Asia, had a 5.4% increase, hitting 1.54 million units. Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM) produced 4.92 million units worldwide, a 5.8% increase over the previous year. Asia saw a particularly noteworthy increase in production, rising 6.1% year over year to become the largest production segment. With North America remaining the largest export destination, total exports, excluding Lexus, hit 1.01 million units, the most since 2019 and representing an 8% YoY growth. Serving Japan, North America, Europe, Asia, Central and South America, Oceania, Africa, and the Middle East, Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM) manufactures passenger and commercial vehicles, along with related parts. It is included in our list of cheap solid state battery stocks. While we acknowledge the potential of TM as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. Sign in to access your portfolio