McDonald's Corp on Sunday said Carl Icahn has nominated two members to its board of directors in an escalating fight over the treatment of pigs by the burger chain's suppliers.
The McDonald's logo is seen outside the fast-food chain McDonald's in New York, U.S., October 22, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photoon Sunday said Carl Icahn has nominated two members to its board of directors in an escalating fight over the treatment of pigs by the burger chain's suppliers.
Icahn has previously said that it is "obscene" how the animals used for McDonald's products are treated.Icahn has insisted on new McDonald's commitments, including requiring all of the company's U.S. pork suppliers to move to "crate free" pork, and set specific timeframes, the company said. McDonald's pledged in 2012 to source pork from producers who do not use small crates to house pregnant sows. Icahn pushed for the change behind the scenes, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month.
The company expects to source 85% to 90% of its U.S. pork volumes from sows not housed in gestation crates during pregnancy by the end of 2022 and expects 100% of its U.S. pork to come from sows housed in groups during pregnancy by the end of 2024, it added.