The day before McDonald’s annual shareholders meeting, a cast of 25 celebrities urged the fast-food giant to adopt a comprehensive chicken welfare policy in a new TV ad.
Produced by Mercy For Animals, the new video features Daniella Monet, Emily Deschanel, James Cromwell, Kimberly Elise, Matt Lauria, Joanna Krupa, Daisy Fuentes, John Salley, Alison Pill, and many others. The ad, covered by viral news outlet NowThis, has already racked up millions of views on social media. Additionally, the TV ad was seen by 800,000 people in the Chicago area, where McDonald’s is headquartered, on CNN, MSNBC, ESPN, NBC, and other channels.
Mercy For Animals has also produced a Spanish-language version of the TV ad.
More than 300,000 customers have already called on McDonald’s to commit to the basic animal welfare standards that more than 120 of its competitors, such as Burger King, Denny’s, Chipotle, Starbucks, and Subway, have already agreed to.
Currently, chickens used by McDonald’s are bred to grow so large so fast that their legs and organs often can’t support the birds’ weight. Tens of thousands of chickens are crammed together into unsanitary, dark sheds for nearly their entire lives. Because facilities aren’t required to provide perches, birds can’t get up off the ground and may be forced to sit, eat, and sleep in their own waste. Trapped in barren sheds with little environmental enrichment, chickens are unable to engage in many natural behaviors.
“Why doesn’t McDonald’s care about where its meat comes from?” Joanna Krupa asks. “Its so-called Happy Meals are made from abused chickens who are kept in terrible conditions and forced to grow so large so quickly that they cannot support their own weight. Tell McDonald’s to stop this cruelty.”
As part of a coalition of animal protection groups, including Animal Equality, The Humane League, Compassion in World Farming, Compassion Over Killing, and World Animal Protection, Mercy For Animals is calling on McDonald’s to end this abuse—but so far, the company has failed to act.
To add your voice to the campaign, share this new TV ad on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook and visit McDonaldsCruelty.com for more ways to take action.
