When big companies like McDonald's make lofty promises, we like to keep tabs on them to see if they actually go through with those vows. And in this case, McDonald's is making good on its plans to phase out the use of gestation crates by its pork suppliers, unveiling a 10-year plan on how it'll accomplish just that.
Back in February, McDonald's said it would ask its suppliers to submit plans by May as to how they would phase out those cages gradually. It appears the company has taken those ideas into consideration and come up with an outline.
According to the Chicago Tribune:
"We value our relationship with our suppliers and our shared commitment to animal welfare," Dan Gorsky, senior vice president of McDonald's North America Supply Chain Management, said in a statement. "Our approach seeks to build on the work already in place, and we are also sensitive to the needs of the smaller, independent pork producers in phasing out of gestation stalls."
By 2017, McD's says it will only buy pork from suppliers that are down with its commitment to phase out gestation stalls. The company says it's going to try to figure out ways to move farmers to other practices other than confining sows -- a method proponents say is because sows get aggressive around food -- as well as develop systems that trace where the pork is coming from and make sure the sows weren't confined.
Others in the food industry have announced they will also move gradually toward crate-free pork, including Burger King and Wendy's, both of which buy less pork than McDonald's, as well as grocery chain Safeway.
McDonald's to phase out pork from suppliers that cage pigs over 10 years [Chicago Tribune]
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