WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Animal activists have accused Burger King of alarming abuse at one of its overseas farms.
Undercover video of an egg farm showed birds in cramped cages, struggling to escape. Their wings appeared to be mutilated and their bones covered in filth.
“Dirt and fecal waste coat the cage bars and equipment,” a narrator said in the video.
The exposé was led by Lever, a non-profit organization with a focus on protecting animals.
A representative for the group said Burger King needs to change its ways.
“The conditions found at farms of this Burger King egg supplier would violate national standards across all of the United States,” Nick Cooney said.
According to Lever, the farm is in Taiwan and supplies eggs for the burger giant in Asia.
“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.”
The concern isn’t just for the animals. Lever claims what you are seeing in the video is a risk to human health as well.
“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 has 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.
“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. For Burger King, the time for action is now,” Cooney said.
Officials at the Burger King headquarters in West Miami-Dade released a statement that reads in part, “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.”
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