PETA's Second Letter to Burger King

October 18, 2000

Mr. Rob Doughty, Vice President of Communications and Public Relations
Burger King Corporation
17777 Old Cutler Rd.
Miami, FL 33157

2 pages via fax: 305-378-7262

Dear Mr. Doughty:

Thank you so much for your call this morning. We trust that Burger King is truly ready to take serious and significant steps toward reducing animal suffering and that we can come to a resolution regarding Burger King's animal welfare standards. Per your request, we will be happy to wait a week for your reply. Let me offer a few considerations for your meetings with Ms. Tuzel:

First, I should tell you that we still have concerns, on the basis of Burger King's press statements in August (e.g., Chicago Tribune, 8-24-00) and last week that, for example, Burger King is "in full compliance with all regulations governing the meat and poultry industries" (Miami Herald, 9-12-00). This claim ignores the fact that except for the Humane Slaughter Act (which covers only cows and pigs at the slaughterhouse and is totally self-enforced), there are no federal regulations governing the treatment of animals for meat, and at least one Burger King supplier, the largest slaughtering company in the country, has already been shown to have violated this one and only law that provides even a scintilla of protection for these animals. We will not harp on this old remark if Burger King's position on this matter changes, but it is cause for current concern, as I'm sure you can understand.

Second, you told me that Burger King had hired Dr. Grandin. I called Dr. Grandin after receiving your call and found out that she had not been hired. In fact, Dr. Grandin told me that although she would be more than happy to work with you, she had only been asked to send her proposal again (the same one that Burger King rejected previously). If your statement to me was based on your commitment to hiring her, fair enough, but this must be an open and honest exchange between us in order for an agreement to be reached.

All that said, if you provide us with tangible evidence that Burger King will meet or exceed McDonald's animal welfare standards and the important points in its plan, which include not simply those things that McDonald's has already done but also the many things that they are working toward (Dr. Grandin will fill you in, as she is responsible), we will happily refocus our campaign and leave Burger King in peace. Dr. Steven Jay Gross, our business consultant from Chicago who was involved in our negotiations with McDonald's, must be kept apprised of Burger King's progress every few months. I spoke with Drs. Grandin and Gross today, and both tell me that they would be amenable to such an arrangement, that is the same as the one we had with McDonald's?Dr. Gross, (representing PETA), a Burger King representative, and Dr. Grandin discussing Burger King's progress through bimonthly conference calls. Each call should take less than an hour, enough time for us to raise concerns and for Dr. Grandin and the Burger King Representative to tell us what Burger King is doing and relay any comments that management may have.

To be clear, PETA has campaign materials prepared, thousands of activists from all over the world ready to help us, and a full plan to pursue. We already have an action alert on our Web site, and we have also just completed the written portion of the campaign Web site (MurderKing.com), as well as a spread for the next issue of our member magazine (circ. 700,000). We are preparing to launch billboards, T-shirts, stickers, and so on, and we already have designs, including a parody of the Burger King crown. That said, we will be delighted if we can scuttle the whole operation and turn our attention elsewhere. In order to do precisely that, we must know that Burger King has hired Dr. Grandin and is committed to follow her counsel, as McDonald's has done, that Burger King will meet and exceed the changes that McDonald's has agreed to (as contained in my earlier letter), and that Burger King will consult with an animal welfare council similar to McDonald's and headed by Dr. Grandin and will, as McDonald's has done, "communicate your process, programs, plans, and progress surrounding animal welfare" (McDonald's Animal Welfare Guiding Principles).

On behalf of PETA's 700,000 members, we look forward to working with you to ameliorate some of the suffering that animals endure for Burger King.

Sincerely,

Bruce G. Friedrich
Vegetarian Campaign Coordinator

cc: Dr. Temple Grandin
Dr. Steven J. Gross, Humane PAC
Mr. Colin Storm, CEO
Ms. Mikel Durham, President, Burger King North America