Seventy-two square inches.
It’s an area smaller than a standard sheet of computer paper, and it’s the area McDonald’s gives to its egg-laying hens that produce the millions of eggs the multinational McMuffin goliath uses every day in its breakfasts.
Following repeated pleas from The Humane Society of the United States to expand the number of hens raised outside of these confined, dank cages that do not allow the birds to spread their wings or even walk around by only 5 percent, McDonald’s wasn’t “lovin’ it” or any other proposal the society offered, as the Big Mac daddy of all restaurant fame rejected the society’s pleas last week.
And it again rejected People for the Ethical Treatment of Animal’s pleas to follow in the footsteps of other fast-food giants, including Burger King, Wendy’s, Hardee’s, Quizno’s and Denny’s, by altering the way chickens are confined and slaughtered to fit a more humane model.
It might be just us, but our favorite ginger clown, besides Bozo of course (remember his TV show in elementary school?), seems to be looking more like Stephen King’s Pennywise from “It” than the smiling, yellow-jumpsuit-wearing, McGriddle-devouring clown we’ve all been ingrained to love.
And for the company that just posted fourth quarter profits of $1.2 billion in January, we don’t think a 14 cent increase per egg by making the eggs “cage-free” would break anyone’s bank.
We’re not asking any of you to go out and protest under the golden arches or immediately become a vegan, although several of us are vegetarians and one of us is already a vegan, but we would like you to think about those 72 inches before you chow down on your next McMuffin.
Because the chickens sure aren’t lovin’ it.
