McDonald’s does use fast-reared chicken, says advertising body

McDonald’s is wrong to say on its website that it no longer uses cheap, fast-bred broiler chickens, the advertising standards commission said on Tuesday.

Animal rights organisation Wakker Dier had complained to the commission that the fast-food chain answered an FAQ about whether it uses the chickens – known as plofkip – with ‘No, McDonald’s used chicken breasts from suppliers who take care of their chickens. McDonald’s makes strict demands on its suppliers.’

The company also said that those strict demands ensure that the chickens have no physical problems.

However, the advertising code commission said that McDonald’s does use chickens which are killed at six weeks old. The commission and Wakker Dier say these are cheap broilers.

McDonald’s was unable to show that the chickens were treated in such a way that they would not qualify as broilers. Nor could it show that there were few physical problems.

The company has already removed the offending text from its website.

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