by Alyssa Oursler | August 23, 2012 9:35 am
A slaughterhouse is under investigation following the release of a video showing lame and sick cows being beaten, kicked shot and shocked in order to get them to walk to slaughter. And McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD[1]), for one, isn’t putting up with it.
The fast food chain suspended purchases of meat[2] from the slaughterhouse, saying that the behaviors were unacceptable and beneath its standards.
The restaurant isn’t alone. Regional chain In-N-Out Burger, which got at least 20% of its meat[3] from the plant in question, and discount chain Costco (NASDAQ:COST[4]) also severed their ties.
And the USDA, which bought 21 million pounds of beef from the company last year — much of it for the U.S. school lunch program — did the same.
The effort to demand better quality from meat suppliers has been a recent trend. “Pink slime” caused a stir earlier this year and in the end both McDonald’s[5] and the school lunch program[6] suspended purchases of that meat as well.
On top of that, McDonald’s announced a plan to phase out inhumane hog crates[7] in the beginning of the summer, while Burger King (NYSE:BKC[8]) and Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN[9]) have made similar moves[10].
It is unknown how much beef McDonald’s had been purchasing from the abusive plant, but a spokesperson says the amount was in the single digits.
McDonald’s has also been pushing to offer more chicken[11] in its restaurants, especially as beef prices continue to shoot up[12] significantly in the wake of the drought. Between that trend and the small supply, it does not seem like the fast food chain should be affected all-that-much.
No evidence has surfaced yet to show that cows from either slaughterhouse were sick, but the plant has been closed pending further investigation.
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