PETA on McDonald's Slaughtering Methods: Not Lovin' It

By Rachelle Bowden in Food on Dec 31, 2004 4:09PM

Following a proposal by PETA, who strategically holds McDonald's shares, McDonald's is trying to decide if they should require its chicken processers to use a slaughtering method that is more humane. It's studying the possiblity of "controlled-atmosphere killing." Basically, gassing the chicken "to sleep".

The current process used is to hang the chickens upside-down with their legs snapped into metal shackles on a moving conveyer line and then cutting their throats, when still fully conscious. They are also immersed in scalding hot water for feather removal while alive. Gross.

McDonald's says that some of their company's European suppliers already use the gassing method. PETA says they hope that other restaurants will follow McDonald's lead and consider switching slaughter methods.

Check out McCruelty.com to see PETA's campaign against McDonald's and KFC's animal cruelty.. but don't do it during lunch. It can be pretty gnarly. And are we the only ones who hate the Hidden Lives of Chickens subway promotion? And is that Jennie Garth in the ads?

Anyway, Chicagoist is definately a meat eater and doesn't really have any moral issues about it, but one thing we surely don't want to think about when we make an infrequent hungover trip to McDonalds tomorrow and bite into some Chicken Selects is how the chicken we're eating was killed. EW EW EW. Totally grossed out right now. Looks like it's hungover TBell for us tomorrow. mmmmmm Bean & Cheese burrito...