The Future of Animal Agriculture in North America - Farm Foundation

Animal Welfare 147
Box 3. Animal Welfare Initiatives of Some Major Food Restaurant Chains
Burger King (www.bk.com)
Burger King states that it “is committed to the humane treatment of the food animals used for its products. Implementing
its new practices and audits is the right thing to do, and the Company is committed to raising animal handling standards
across the country.” In June 2001, it adopted the FMI/NCCR auditing program for the care, housing, transport and
slaughter of cattle, swine and poultry by suppliers. The company states that it will take appropriate action with suppliers that
do not meet its animal handling standards. Currently, the program is implemented for slaughter facilities in Australia,
Canada, New Zealand and the United States, representing the regions that provide 90 percent of all products used within
the Burger King system. The company states that it is expanding the auditing process into every region in which it operates.
It has an Animal Well-being Council to keep it abreast of policies, procedures and best practices. In its most recent animal
handling policy statement (2004), the company indicates that its efforts are prioritized to: 1. humane farm animal
production practices; 2. humane animal transport practices; and 3. humane slaughter practices.
Kentucky Fried Chicken (www.kfc.com)
The parent company of KFC states it “is committed to the humane treatment of animals (and) as a major purchaser of food
products, (has) the opportunity, and responsibility, to influence the way animals supplied to (it) are treated.” The company
has an Animal Welfare Advisory Council to provide information and advice in formulating its animal welfare program,
which involves audits of processing facilities. KFC is also implementing farm-level auditing based on standards developed by
FMI/NCCR. In terms of required production methods, birds should be free to roam throughout the shelters, beak trimming
is not allowed, and suppliers are not permitted to use hormones or steroids. The use of antibiotics to promote the growth of
healthy chickens is prohibited where such antibiotics are significant to human health. Compliance with this policy is based
on supplier assurance.
McDonald’s (www.mcdonalds.com)
The company states that it “cares about the humane treatment of animals (and) our responsibility as a purchaser of food
products includes working with our suppliers to ensure good animal handling practices.” It has a set of guiding principles for
animal welfare that apply to all countries in which the company does business. One of these principles states: “McDonald’s
believes treating animals with care and respect is an integral part of an overall quality assurance program that makes good
business sense.” The company has an Animal Welfare Council, composed primarily of academics, to help it determine
priorities and actions. The core of the company’s program is a global audit system for beef, poultry and pork processing
plants. The first audits were conducted in 1999. The company reports it conducted nearly 500 audits worldwide, reaching
the majority of the facilities that provide its meat products. Suppliers that failed audits and did not take necessary corrective
action were subject to termination as a supplier to McDonald’s. The company supports NCCR/FMI initiatives for
farm-level auditing.
Wendy’s (www.wendys.com)
The company states: “We believe it is our obligation to ensure that each of our suppliers exceeds government regulations by
meeting Wendy’s more exacting standards pertaining to the humane treatment of animals.” It has used an auditing program
for its Canadian and U.S. suppliers since 1998. Those that do not meet the standards are terminated as suppliers. The
requirements for beef, chicken and pork suppliers are published on the company’s Web site. These relate primarily to
transportation, holding and handling. For chickens, certain production conditions are specified, for example, a prohibition
on forced molting, freedom of movement for flocks of breeder and broiler chickens in poultry houses, and a minimum cage
size for laying hens of 72 square inches. The company is also reviewing slaughter methods for chickens, specifically the use
of controlled atmosphere stunning.