big mac's big voice in meat plants

April 10, 2001 6:00 AM

big mac's big voice in meat plants
"Bloodied in past scrapes with animal rights groups, McDonald's has been positioning itself in recent years as an ardent defender of farm animals... the company's headfirst plunge into slaughter policing is revolutionizing the way slaughterhouses do business, according to a wide range of industry experts and observers."
part of an ongoing washingtonpost.com series entitled "Modern Meat."
posted by moth (13 comments total)

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a lot of new infomation in this article. Perhaps McDonalds inspecting their own plants is a step in the right direction. But it's far from being enough. Of course they have a vested interest in their slaughterhouses passing their inspections. And what about improving living conditions for livestock from the start, not just a few minutes before they're killed?

from the article: People should understand that their food dollars can carry some weight in persuading companies to improve.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, as I know many people have, especially here in Europe. I have thought about becoming a vegetarian, but the problem, of course, is that meat tastes so damn good.

But I could stop eating meat for a week as a protest to demand better treatment of livestock animals. Perhaps others would be willing to do such a thing too. Details of exactly what to ask for and how to organize such a protest could be worked out later. I wonder whether an international protest such as this would catch on? Would anyone be willing to join me?
posted by hazyjane at 6:30 AM on April 10, 2001

Oh goodness. And Turn off TV Week is only a week away. Not that I wouldn't tape the Sopranos (HBO comes with the rent) or turn the thing on if there's a tornado warning, since Satellite Feed Corporate Radio doesn't care. Can't one just watch fewer TV programs, which I do anyway, or eat meat less often year-round? Why the need for very special weeks?
posted by raysmj at 7:11 AM on April 10, 2001

It's a little known fact this is National IT Professional week. I've been wondering where all my hugs are.

Back to the topic at hand, as demonstrated on MeFi, McDonalds has been trying. That is, after all, one happy meal.
posted by netbros at 7:22 AM on April 10, 2001

Wait a second....Micky D's burgers are actually made with real beef? All this time I thought they were carefully crafted from soy. Now I feel a terrible guilt...no, on second thought, I'm just hungry.
posted by samsara at 7:29 AM on April 10, 2001

Why the need for very special weeks?
I agree that there are too many special weeks. But just because it's overdone doesn't mean it's not appropriate in this case. Of course one could just watch fewer TV programs or eat less meat throughout the year. That's a decision on the personal level that will have a personal effect. But what I'm talking about is trying to bring about change on a broader scale.
posted by hazyjane at 7:32 AM on April 10, 2001

A Day Without Big Macs?
posted by bondcliff at 7:36 AM on April 10, 2001

I was very disturbed by Monday's installment of the WP "Modern Meat" series. The E. coli related death of a 3-year-old who ate watermelon at a Sizzler hits a bit close to home since my daughter is 4 and has eaten similar meals.

Our society continues to suffer in many ways from people who do half-assed jobs. More times than not, people I have dealt with in my career are so completely unreliable, I constantly marvel at how they stay in business. When it comes to jobs in which lives are at stake, is it too much to ask for people to actually care?
posted by quirked at 8:22 AM on April 10, 2001

"is it too much to ask for people to actually care?"

Yes. It *is* too much -- at minimum wage, anyway. The solution, as I'm sure you realize, is to simply exterminate the majority of the human population. Those who survive will be eager to cater to our every whim, groveling and begging for mercy. There is no price too great to pay for the safety of our Precious Precious Children.


Except, maybe, a twenty percent tip. Twenty percent? Who does that waitress think she is, anyway?
posted by aramaic at 8:36 AM on April 10, 2001

Am I the only one (probably) that saw

big mac's big voice in meat plants

and thought "Meat plants? This time genetics has gone too far!"

?
posted by rodii at 10:35 AM on April 10, 2001

I saw "meat pants" myself.
posted by jennyb at 10:38 AM on April 10, 2001

"Meat plants? This time genetics has gone too far!"

But meat plants (like, "just add water, sunlight and in 3-4 months harvest your own sirloins!") would be super-cool.

Meat vats, however, would be super-cooler.

I also saw meat pants.
posted by cCranium at 10:53 AM on April 10, 2001

I think I've posted this before, but it's so damn good, I have to recommend it again to anyone interested in meat, fast food, and how Americans get most of their food: Fast Food Nation. I'm serious. Read this book if you eat, it's that good.
posted by megnut at 5:32 PM on April 10, 2001

I'll second that. And if you want to try before you buy, the Guardian newspaper ran an extract from Fast Food Nation last Saturday.
posted by Markb at 1:27 AM on April 11, 2001