Linda Bean lobster plant loses big buyer
Linda Bean's lobster processing business has lost a major New York-based buyer that sells food at sports stadiums in Boston and many other cities in light of a controversial video.
The Portland Press Herald reported that Delaware North Companies Sportservice, which runs concessions at Boston's TD Garden and many other sports stadiums, stopped buying from Bean's Maine Lobster after animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals released a video last fall from the company’s Rockland facility, showing what PETA said was cruel and inhumane treatment of live lobsters.
Wendy Watkins, vice president of corporate communications for the food buyer, confirmed Delaware North's decision with the Press Herald, but did not mention the PETA video, which shows, among other things, live lobsters getting torn apart by hand.
“Delaware North has a long-standing commitment to sustainable and responsible practices in food purchasing, and we do our best to maintain very high standards with our vendors,” she said in an email to the newspaper.
Bean's attorney did not comment on Delaware North's decision, but, as the Press Herald noted, has maintained that Bean's lobster processing “practices do not violate Maine's law on cruelty because lobsters do not come within the covered definition.”
Bean's Rockland facility was cited for serious health violations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this year. But the plant's manager has maintained that its processing methods are safe, and that it is working to verify that information with the federal agency.
Bean, a granddaughter of L.L.Bean's founder, launched her lobster business in 2008 reportedly after realizing she could combine the heft of the Maine lobster brand with her family name.
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