Check Out New McDonald’s Cruelty TV Ad With A-List Celebrities That’s Circulating Social Media

Days before McDonald’s annual shareholder meeting on May 23rd, a cast of 25 celebrities are urging the company in a new TV ad to adopt a comprehensive chicken welfare policy. The cast includes: Moby, Emily Deschanel, James Cromwell, Kimberly Elise, Matt Lauria, Joanna Krupa, Daisy Fuentes, John Salley, and Alison Pill. 

Late last year, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Joaquin Phoenix, and more than 15 other celebrities also called on McDonald’s to change its animal welfare standards.

The new TV ad, produced by Mercy For Animals, will air for two weeks in the Chicago media market (McDonald’s is also headquartered in Chicago).

Mercy For Animals has also produced a Spanish-language version of the TV ad, available HERE!

“If McDonald’s customers knew the truth behind McNuggets, they’d be horrified. We’re a nation of animal lovers—we must do better. Join me in telling McDonald’s to stop allowing this animal abuse.”
—Moby

“Why doesn’t McDonald’s care about where its meat comes from? 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.”
—Joanna Krupa

“The world is waking up to how factory farms hurt animals and the responsibility food companies have to change the system. This is why I’m calling on McDonald’s to reduce the suffering of animals and why I’ve also invested in plant-based companies creating the future of food.”
—John Salley

“Chickens raised for McDonald’s are bred to grow so large so fast that many cannot even walk without pain, and they’re packed tightly into dark, barren warehouses. More than 120 food companies have committed to ending these abuses, as they know consumers expect stronger animal welfare standards. But McDonald’s has failed to act. We’re proud to stand with more than 25 celebrities and nearly 300,000 consumers in urging McDonald’s to catch up.” —Leah Garcés, President of Mercy For Animals

What’s wrong with chickens raised for McDonald’s?

− Chickens are bred to grow so large so fast that their legs and organs often can’t support them.

− Tens of thousands of chickens are crammed together into unsanitary, dark sheds for their entire lives.

− Without any requirement 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 most natural behaviors.

Nearly 300,000 customers have called on McDonald’s to end these abuses. Learn More HERE!

What are McDonald’s competitors doing on this issue?

More than 120 food companies have committed to comprehensive chicken welfare standards, including some of McDonald’s largest competitors, such as: Burger King, Subway, Starbucks, Chipotle, and Denny’s. See a list of them HERE!

Animal protection groups, including: Mercy For Animals, Animal Equality, The Humane League, Compassion in World Farming, Compassion Over Killing, and World Animal Protection, have united in a coalition to ask McDonald’s to implement science-based higher welfare standards for its chicken supply chain by switching to healthier breeds of birds, providing more room for the chickens to move, monitoring air and litter quality in barns, and providing environmental enrichment. Bloomberg, Politico, Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News, The Independent, Crain’s Chicago Business, World Animal News and other outlets have covered McDonald’s lack of a comprehensive chicken welfare policy.

To sign the petition and for more information, visit the coalition’s website HERE!