Shifting the Fast Food Industry Towards Humanely Raised Pork

Gestation crates are some of the cruelest and most unsanitary devices found on factory farms. These enclosures — largely used by major pork producers like Smithfield Foods — keep breeding sows locked in cages so small they can't even turn around. Sows frequently develop sores and infections from staying in the same position for long periods of time, and the boredom causes the animals to engage in repetitive behaviors like bar biting and head swaying.

That's why activists and organizations are working towards shifting businesses away from gestation crates. One of their main targets is the fast food industry.

With cheap pork meals like McRibs, Egg McMuffins, and Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers popping up on fast food menus across the U.S., it's certainly an industry that's ripe for a change. As a result of pressure from food safety and animal welfare advocates, some restaurant chains have already made moves in the right direction:

• Burger King said in 2007 that it would gradually eliminate gestation crate pork from its supply chain.
• At least 10 percent of Wendy's pork products already come from suppliers that don't use gestation crates.
• And 10 years ago, McDonald's announced that moving towards gestation crate-free pork was "at the top of its agenda."

But at least when it comes to McDonald's, there's more that the industry could be doing. McDonald's sources the majority of its pork from Smithfield Foods, the world's largest pork producer. In fact, McDonald's is Smithfield's biggest client. And while Smithfield has made some moves towards humanely raised pork (the company says 30 percent of its pork will be raised without the use of gestation crates by the end of 2011), it has seriously back-tracked on its initial gestation crate commitment.

Smithfield announced a goal back in 2007 to totally do away with gestation crates by 2017. In 2009, Smithfield backed away from that plan, citing economic conditions. But while the company recently boasted record profits, it still hasn't re-committed to totally phase out gestation crates. More than 12,000 people recently signed a petition urging Smithfield to renew its vow to go gestation crate-free, but the company still won't budge.

And that's where McDonald's could be doing more. As a massive corporation and Smithfield's largest customer, McDonald's has enormous pull, both with Smithfield and the pork industry as a whole. If McDonald's urged Smithfield to re-commit to its goal of totally eliminating the use of gestation crates by 2017, the request would undoubtedly make a big impact on the pork producer.

The fast food industry is already slowly moving towards more humanely raised pork, but we can help push it along. Tell McDonald's to take a firm stand against the use of cruel, unsanitary gestation crates. Sign this petition asking the fast food company to push Smithfield into going gestation crate-free.

Photo credit: The Pug Father via Flickr