McDonald's Corp. and Target Corp. cut ties to Sparboe Farms, one of the largest egg suppliers in the United States, following the release of an undercover video displaying animal cruelty at some of its farms.
The moves also came after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned Sparboe Wednesday that inspections at five of its facilities exposed “serious violations” of federal rules meant to prevent salmonella.
In the warning letter, the FDA said that eggs from those facilities “have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with filth, or whereby they may have been rendered injurious to health.”
The agency also noted unacceptable rodent activity.
The expose:- The video, which was released on Friday, shows chickens being packed into tight cages, some being thrown away with dead ones in plastic bags, and workers cutting chickens' beaks. “The behavior on tape is disturbing and completely unacceptable. McDonald's wants to assure our customers that we demand humane treatment of animals by our suppliers,” McDonald's Vice President for sustainability, Bob Langert, said.
It was shot by members of the group Mercy for Animals at five Sparboe facilities in Iowa, Minnesota and Colorado over the summer. Their investigator went undercover and got hired by Sparboe, and wore a hidden camera to “work” to document cases of “egregious animal abuse and neglect,” the group said.
McDonald's, which uses eggs for its popular Egg McMuffins, announced the termination decision on Friday. Target soon followed, saying it was removing Sparboe's eggs from its shelves.
In a statement, McDonald's said, “Based upon recent information, we have informed our direct supplier, Cargill, that we will no longer accept eggs from its supplier, Sparboe. This decision is based on McDonald's and Cargill's concern regarding the management of Sparboe's facilities.”
Sparboe was a significant egg supplier for McDonald's.
“Regarding the undercover videos, the behavior on tape is disturbing and completely unacceptable. McDonald's wants to assure our customers that we demand humane treatment of animals by our suppliers,” McDonald's vice president for sustainability, Bob Langert, said.
Target also issued a statement saying, “Having been made aware of the unacceptable conditions in the company's egg laying facilities, effective immediately, Target will discontinue its business relationship with Sparboe Farms.”
Sparboe's reaction:- In an online statement, Beth Sparboe Schnell, the company's president and owner, said that Sparboe launched an internal investigation when it learned about the video and “identified four employees who were complicit in this disturbing activity and they have been terminated.”
The company also said that it has made management changes, taken corrective actions sought by the FDA, and started retraining all of its barn workers in proper animal care procedures.
“Acts depicted in the footage are totally unacceptable and completely at odds with our values as egg farmers. In fact, they are in direct violation of our animal care code of conduct, which all of our employees read, sign and follow each day,” Schnell said.
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