Undercover Video Catches Burger King’s Animal Cruelty

Heartbreakingly, an undercover video of an egg farm showed birds that were left in cramped cages, under Burger King’s crown. The birds’ wings appeared to be mutilated and their bones are covered in filth.

A narrator said in the video, “Dirt and fecal waste coat the cage bars and equipment.”

Lever, a non-profit organization with a focus on protecting animals, led the exposé.

A representative for the group said Burger King “needs to change its ways.”

While Burger King, and food industry empires of the like, absolutely need to change the conditions their animals are in, it does raise the question about consumer demand.

If their products were in less demand, perhaps there would be “nicer” conditions. Or, without changing the quantity of demand, demanding better quality should be the focus. If not for the safety and rights of animals, for the safety of our consumers.

“The conditions found at farms of this Burger King egg supplier would violate national standards across all of the United States,” Nick Cooney, animal rights activist, said.

The farm is in Taiwan and supplies eggs for the burger giant in Asia, according to Lever.

“Because Burger King does not disclose the sources of its products here in the U.S.,” Cooney said, “we are unsure if these products are making their way to U.S. customers or not.”

Lever emphasises that the concerns isn’t just for the animals, but that the video is important, as a risk to human health.

“Eggs gather in dirty collection trays. Flies crawl around the trays and swarm all over the farm,” a narrator in the video said.

Studies in Europe found dramatically higher rates of salmonella contamination in eggs from farms like the one in Taiwan.

Burger King representatives have said they have “committed itself to using only cage-free eggs in the U.S., Europe and South America by the year 2025.” However, there’s no timeline for Asia.

Officials at the Burger King headquarters in West Miami-Dade released a statement that said: “We always encourage all of our suppliers to follow sound ethical practices when sourcing their products. We take this topic very seriously and will be investigating these claims regarding our suppliers in Asia.”

However, Burger King, amongst many fast-food chain restaurants, are behind in their standards.

“Will Burger King do what other food companies have already done and end the use of eggs from filthy and cruel battery caged egg farms?” Cooney said. “For Burger King, the time for action is now.”