News

McDonald's, In-N-Out suspend supplier over animal welfare concerns

August 24, 2012

After an undercover video showed employees at the Central Valley Meat Co. beating, kicking, shooting and shocking cows en route to their slaughter, McDonald's, In-N-Out Burger and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have suspended purchases from the facility.

The video was shot in June and July by members from the group Compassion Over Killing, according to the Associated Press. Those members also provided statements about conditions not caught on tape.

McDonald's released a statement saying: "There are behaviors in the video which appear to be unacceptable and would not adhere to the standards we demand of our suppliers."

It is illegal to slaughter a non-ambulatory animal for food because of infection concerns, notably mad cow disease.

Central Valley Meat Co., located in Fresno, Calif., sold 21 pound of beef to the USDA in 2011 for school lunch and other federal food programs.

"The department works to ensure that product purchased for the federal feeding programs meets stringent food safety standards and that processors comply with humane handling regulations," the USDA said in a statement.

McDonald's said the percentage of meat purchased from the slaughterhouse was in the single digits.

The USDA shut down Central Valley Meat Co. earlier this week after the video surfaced showing the inhumane treatment.

Central Valley Meat Co. issued a statement saying it is cooperating with investigators and developing a plan to correct potential violations.

The district attorney's office in Kings County, Calif., where the plant is located, is following the federal investigation before deciding whether to file state cruelty charges.

In November 2011, McDonald's dropped one of its major egg suppliers, Sparboe Farms, after an investigation aired on "20/20" showing violations, including inhumane treatment of the animals.

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