(NaturalNews) At a time when many companies are taking immediate action and embracing society's increased interest in health--both for themselves and the animals on the planet--by announcing thing such as GMO-free dining establishments and ridding antibiotic use in the meats, Kellogg Company is taking a disappointing, yet not surprising, step backwards.

The company recently announced that as part of its "ongoing dedication to corporate responsibility" and "commitment to animal welfare" that it will only source cage-free eggs for its foods. At the same time, they plan to get rid of gestation stalls which are used in its pork supply chain.

That's great, right? It sure is, but don't jump for joy just yet. Here's the catch: it'll be done by the year 2025. That's right, in 10 long years from now, Kellogg will finally be doing what needs to be done NOW. (1)

It's understandable that certain efforts take some time and simply can't be changed overnight, but 10 years?

Wow.

Ten years is a long time for animals to continue experiencing extreme cruelty...

"While we hope these transitions come sooner than 2025, we understand that the development of alternative housing methods takes time and are committed to working with our suppliers to establish the appropriate path forward," said Diane Holdorf, Chief Sustainability Officer at Kellogg Company, in a company press release. (1)

In the meantime, however, this means that horrific animal practices will continue. Although that same press release attempts to downplay the amount of animals affected by stating that they're a grains-based company that uses "very few animal products" in its foods," isn't even a small amount of animals worth providing improved conditions to? And not by 2025...but much, much sooner? (1)

So this means that for up to 10 years, the animals used for their foods will undergo terrible conditions. Gestation stalls, for example, are barely any larger than the pigs themselves, rendering them unable to hardly move and certainly unable to turn around. The Humane Society of the United States notes that pigs are among one of the most intelligent animals on the planet, able to feel fear and stress. The Society also mentions that when in these cramped spaces, they're often unfortunately abused, and tend to do nothing more than "...chew on the bars, wave their heads incessantly back and forth...likely going out of their minds." (2)

But sure, lets set a 10-year goal to fix such atrocities.

But what do politicians and Kellogg Company really care?

Sadly, much of this gets hardly an air of concern from politicians, including GOP presidential hopeful Chris Christie. Late last year, the New Jersey governor vetoed legislation that would have banned the use of gestation crates. Another politician, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, a Republican, supported Christie's decision. (3)

All of this certainly doesn't put Kellogg Company in a positive light. Taking up to a decade to make things right only reminds people of the company's other shortcomings, including deceiving consumers when they misled consumers with their "100% natural" and "Nothing artificial" labels on its Kashi and Bear Naked products. In that instance, there was a class-action settlement, but undoubtedly, duped consumers won't soon forget the trickery of a company they thought they could trust. (4)

Kellogg Company is also a member of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). That's a huge red flag for consumers who remember the GMA's attempt to brush off GMO labeling and disclosure wrongdoings--and worse, get involved in money laundering to try and make it happen--when faced with a lawsuit by Washington State. (5)

Then there's the fact that quite a few of the company's cereals are tainted with body-harming heavy metals. Natural News editor Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, through testing in his Forensic Food Lab, has revealed that Kellogg cereals such as Corn Flakes, Mini-Wheats Strawberry, and Special-K contain the likes of arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead. You can read about other cereals--Kellogg's and other brands--that contain heavy metals here.(6)

Enough is enough

Enough already, Kellogg Company.

You've fooled consumers with false labeling, have heavy metals in many of your cereals, have tried to weasel out of lawsuits, and are proud of the fact that you're going to take upwards of 10 years before using cage-free eggs and stop using gestation stalls.

That's not "corporate responsibility," that's laziness and an utter disregard for the welfare of humans and animals everywhere.

Sources for this article include:

(1) http://newsroom.kelloggcompany.com
(2) http://www.humanesociety.org
(3) http://www.naturalnews.com
(4) http://www.naturalnews.com
(5) http://www.naturalnews.com
(6) http://labs.naturalnews.com