PETA reiterated its demands again

To: Rob Doughty, Burger King
From: Steven Jay Gross, Ph.D., Steven Jay Gross & Associates
Date: January 19, 2001
Re: PETA's Burger King Campaign launch

2 pages via fax: 305-378-7714

Dear Rob:

I am sending you some of the TV and print news coverage from PETA's Burger King Campaign launch. As you'll see, mainstream America is appalled to learn that Burger King refuses to commit to anything at all where animal welfare is concerned. Rest assured, PETA will, as it did with McDonald's, send activists to hundreds of restaurants all over the world, with leaflets, posters, stickers, and portable video players. PETA tells me that this is only the beginning.

Rob, when we spoke, I felt you wanted Burger King to do the right thing, and I don't know if it's the corporate higher-ups who aren't yet realizing that this issue is to be taken seriously or if it is Burger King's style to just try to play a public relations game. All PETA is asking is that Burger King take the reasonable steps in animal welfare that its chief competitor, McDonald's, has taken. How you could allow Burger King to compare so poorly to McDonald's is beyond me, as I explained to you on the phone. It's grotesquely immoral, and it's extraordinarily bad business.

According to journalists from USA Today and the Miami Herald, Burger King has finally stated that it is "looking to endorse" the McDonald's standards. To be clear, McDonald's is requiring compliance of its suppliers. Burger King's "endorsement" of McDonald's standards will mean nothing unless it also requires compliance. Similarly, it's nice, I suppose, that Burger King "expects [its] suppliers to comply with the Federal Humane Slaughter Act." Sadly, though, we both know that "expecting" compliance accomplishes nothing, since the law is entirely self-regulated.

If Burger King pledges to meet McDonald's current animal welfare guidelines (increase cage space, eliminate "debeaking," prohibit the starvation and dehydration of laying hens, institute more humane catching methods for chickens by offering financial incentives to employees who handle the birds carefully and don't break any bones, and audit slaughterhouses, cutting off those suppliers that are not in compliance with humane slaughter guidelines), we will call off our campaign for a significant period of time to be determined so as to give Burger King the opportunity to keep moving in the right direction.

So, please talk with Dr. Grandin about what McDonald's is doing, agree to follow McDonald's lead, put it in writing, and PETA will leave Burger King alone. It doesn't get any more reasonable than that, Rob.

I am happy to speak with you at any time.

cc: Dr. Temple Grandin
Dr. Steven J. Gross, Humane PAC
Mr. Colin Storm, CEO
Ms. Mikel Durham, President, Burger King North America
Mr. Steve Lewis, National Franchisee Association
Mr. Frank Capaldo, National Franchisee Association