Cape Town - A local animal rights activist, with the backing of a host of animal protection groups, is petitioning McDonald’s to source eggs from cage-free hens, putting an end to the use of battery-caged chickens, a practice she describes as “cruel”.
After McDonald’s USA and Canada made a commitment last year to phase out the practice within 10 years, pressure was put on McDonald’s SA to follow suit.
Yolanda Guse’s online petition, “Not lovin’ it McDonald’s SA”, a play on the franchise’s slogan, had garnered nearly 17 000 signatures in more than a month. Organisations including Beauty Without Cruelty SA, United Front 4 Animals and the South African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute have all come to the fore in a bid to get McDonald’s SA to commit.
Guse, who grew up surrounded by family chickens in Durbanville, said: “I’m a super fan of McDonald’s fast food and miss their greasy goodness to bits, but I refuse to support a brand that inflicts such cruelty upon our animals. Battery cage farms are a living hell for the innocent hens who lay eggs for McDonald’s SA. All this suffering for a mere R10 meal,” she said.
Kamini Pather, TV chef and host of Girl Eat World, has also added her name to the list as a concerned anti-cruelty agent.
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“You are what you eat,” Pather said, when asked why she supported the cause.
“I believe as humans we should be concerned about what we put into our bodies and what goes with that is the farming conditions.
On the impact cage-free farming will have on the supply chain, Pather added: “Whatever you think of McDonald’s, they’re a huge demand on local farmers, so if they require better quality chickens, local farmers will have no choice but to adapt. It could make a huge difference.”
Corporate affairs director for McDonald’s SA, Sechaba Motsieloa, said yesterday they “took note of the moves made by our USA and Canadian counterparts to fully transition to cage-free eggs for all restaurants over the next 10 years”.
The statement added: “We are currently exploring the viability of expanding McDonald’s cage-free policy to South Africa and we will complete our investigation within a year.
“We source our farm-fresh eggs directly from our own farms and suppliers, who meet McDonald’s stringent quality and food safety standards. Our customers can enjoy our egg offerings at all of our restaurants in South Africa confident that they meet the highest standards of safety.”
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However, Guse isn’t convinced, adding: “They are trying to run away. Why would they need a year to conduct an investigation? It’s about that two seconds of thought before you eat your food. If you really want to see what you’re eating, take two seconds to google battery cages.”
CAPE ARGUS