On August 22, 2012, McDonald’s became the second prominent fast food franchise in the United States to cease purchasing beef from a California meat supplier following the temporary closure of the facility by federal inspectors. The inspectors cited evidence of “shocking and cruel treatment of animals” as the reason for the shutdown.
“Nevertheless, after being informed of the USDA’s choice to halt CVM, we promptly responded by suspending the provision from this establishment, awaiting additional inquiry,” expressed a representative from McDonald’s. “Central Valley Meat (CVM) supplied uncooked beef to various of our distributors.”
Compassion Over Killing, a group advocating for the rights of animals, assigned an undercover investigator to create a video at CVM’s Hanford, California facility for a duration of two weeks in the previous month. The video was evaluated by inspectors, and consequently, the USDA initiated appropriate measures.
The company, in a cruel manner, utilized potentially infected “downer cows” and handled them. The video, which was publicly broadcasted on “World News with Diane Sawyer” on Tuesday, depicts workers using electric prods on cattle that can hardly move. Compassion Over Killing further claimed.
Prior to the ABC News report, In-N-Out Burger declared that it would temporarily halt buying from CVM, a supplier that had previously contributed 20 to 30 percent of the restaurant chain’s beef.
All of our suppliers must agree to abide by our strict standards for the humane treatment of cattle, and Burger Out-N-In’s Chief Operating Officer, Mark Taylor, stated in a statement to ABC News that we would never condone inhumane treatment of animals.
In 2011, CVM supplied 15.7 percent of the overall beef acquired by the USDA. The Federal feeding programs, including the National School Lunch Program, bought 21 million pounds of meat from CVM in the previous year. CVM also serves as a beef provider to American schoolchildren.
Neither the beef purchased at McDonald’s nor the CVM shutdown prompted any food safety issues, and there was no stress on the USDA.
McDonald’s stated, “McDonald’s is concerned about the sourcing of our food and we have a lengthy record of taking action and making a commitment to enhance the well-being of animals in our supply chain.” “There are actions depicted in the video that seem to be unacceptable and would not comply with the standards we expect from our suppliers.”
McDonald’s also characterizes CVM as an “extremely small” supplier of beef to the accounting chain, with a single low percentage digit for beef supply.
“The USDA stated that the Department strives to guarantee that the items acquired for the Federal feeding programs adhere to strict food safety criteria and that processors adhere to regulations regarding the ethical treatment of animals. Although certain videos from this establishment depict unacceptable treatment of cattle, they do not reveal anything that would jeopardize the safety of the food.”
The allegations made by Brian Coelho, the president of Central Valley Meat, are both surprising and disturbing, as they indicate that the plant is currently under continuous inspection by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection personnel, who are empowered to take immediate action. Coelho stated that his company is committed to quickly addressing any problems and takes these allegations of serious abuse seriously.
Erica Meier, the director of Compassion Over Killing, stated that the lack of on-site federal inspectors was a clear warning sign.
“These mistreatments within slaughterhouses throughout the nation frequently occur directly under the observation of government inspectors,” Meier stated.
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