McDonald’s in the US has given its suppliers until the end of the year to change their animal welfare practices.
The fast food chain has told 27 supply companies they must give chickens that produce its eggs more space to live in by the end of 2000, and to stop the practice of withholding food and water from hens to increase egg production. They must do so by the end of the first quarter of 2001.
The changes have been demanded after the company received advice from an in-house animal welfare panel of scientific advisers.
Robert Langert, senior director of public and community affairs at McDonald’s, said the new requirements were designed to help the corporation ‘be a leader on this issue’.
McDonald’s has backed the decision by one of its suppliers to halt toy production for the fast food chain at a factory in China.
The supplier stopped all production at City Toys, after four independent monitoring groups, including Société Générale de Surveillance and Intertek Testing Services, failed to find adequate documentation for all City Toys’ employees, following child labour allegations.